RIP Naguib Mahfouz

Naguib Mahfouz, one of Egypt's proudest sons, passed away at the age of 94. I very much admired his work and certainly felt a puff of pride as an Egyptian and self-professed writer everytime he was heralded for his work.

The Washington Post has an excellent tribute: The Deep Well of Egypt's Literary Oasis

An excerpt from Mahfouz's Palace Walk:

"No woman was more than a body to him. All the same, he would not bow his head before that body unless he found it truly worthy of being seen, touched, smelled, tasted, and heard. It was lust, yes, but it was not bestial or blind. It had been refined by a craft that was at least partially an art, setting his lust in a framework of delight, humor and good cheer. Nothing was so like his lust as his body, since both were huge and powerful."

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You know you're all hot and bothered now. 'Til the other side, Naguib.

Girl-crushes and other musings.

Every once in a while, I get a girl-crush. Totally non-sexual, but a crush nonetheless. In the past, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Salma Hayek, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears circa "Slave 4 U" have been the subject of my admiration. I'm currently nursing a thang for Bouncy, but someone else has caught my eye.

For some inexplicable reason, Kim Kardashian popped onto my radar. I think narcissism is to blame. Pre-Minillio, she was rumored to be dating Nick Lachey (dreamy! - the fact that he was so attentive and adoring of Jessica when I met them at Denise's made him all the more endearing) and she and I are similar types physically - ergo if she's dating him, then I have a chance with him! Yes, my logic worries me, too. And no, I don't think I'm anywhere as cute as Kim is, I'm just talking about the broad outline (ethnic looking, curvy, etc). And she also has a big ol' butt:

Damn, girl! Putting me to shame!

Speaking of butts, I recently met two men while walking Cannoli - one Egyptian and one Palestinian. They turned out to be entertaining guys. One of them volunteered that he didn't think I looked Egyptian because I didn't "push and drag like Egyptian women do." He then explained that all Egyptian women have big breasts (thus they "push") and a big butt (so they "drag," too) - childish and bordering on being racist and sexist, but kind of funny. I got a little offended ... for the wrong reason - I drag, damnit! And in my chubbier incarnations, I pushed plenty, too! As I've told my friends, never in my life did I think I'd be upset by someone telling me that I didn't have a fat ass. I guess there's a first time for everything.

I've been listening to a lot of new music lately, here's my take on a few -

Kelis, Kelis Was Here - A nice album, comparable to her previous work (pre-Tasty). It has an urban Annie Lennox vibe to it. My favorite track is "What's That Right There" (ex: "I put the shimmy on your coco-pop. You likes it raw, I likes it on top..."). I'll never understand why they chose "Blindfold Me" as the second single.

Christina Aguilera, Back to Basics - Disappointing. I think Christina has a remarkable voice, but rather than using that voice to convey emotion, she chooses to beat the listener over the head with unnecessary vocal runs and constant belting. Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey are very similar types in that, technically, they have vocal chops that are almost unparalleled, but they will never resonate the way, say, Aretha or Etta did because they're too concerned with proving that they can sing to drop their guard and actually relate. The most impressive moment on the double-disc is "Save Me From Myself," which is the only song where Christina doesn't sound vocally disingenuous.

Beyonce, B'Day - It leaked. At first, I was pretty worried about my girl. "Deja Vu" was a "Crazy In Love" retread that was barely saved by the MJ circa Off The Wall (specifically "I Can't Help It") instrumental interpolation. Then came "Ring The Alarm," which has since grown on me, but still isn't exactly my cup of tea. Luckily for Bouncy, the rest of the album redeems her. Stand-outs include "Irreplaceable" (where B lets a nogoodlousyfilthyrottenbastard know that he is dispensable), "Get Me Bodied" (up-tempo, bouncy Beyonce at her best) and "Sugar Mama" (which channels the sort of funk that I sense she'd really rather be doing instead of hip-hop lite). "Kitty Kat" and "Freekum Dress" are slightly cringe-worthy, but definitely listenable. The worst track is the album's other collaboration with Jigga, "Upgrade You" (see previous "hip-hop lite" jab). Not only does Beyonce promise to "do for [Jigga] what Martin (presumably Luther King, Jr.) did for the people," but she name drops designers gratuitously. That sort of braggadocio is what rappers do when they don't have anything particularly interesting or entertaining to say. In other words - if that's what you had to resort to, maybe the song shouldn't have made the album.

That's all for now. Kisses.

Is changing his diaper considered foreplay?

Ew. Yuck. Ew. Gross. Ew. Sick. Ew. He probably has Depends older than she is.

Music writer/producer Quincy Jones is dating aspiring fashion designer Heba Elawadi, age 19. They recently attended the Ludacris Bridges "Release Therapy" listening party on August 21, 2006 at Social Hollywood in Hollywood, California. Elwadi is only 19 and left Egypt at the age of 15 in 2002 for London.

Via Bossip

"Mr. Hedge Fund"

I saw "Mr. Hedge Fund" at Luna Park on Friday. He felt the need to inflict this nugget of "wisdom" upon me:

It's hard being a girl in New York. Or at least one over 30. No guy wants a girl over 30 because men age differently than women. You really shouldn't be all aloof, because the girl who plays hard to get at 22 may very well be alone at 32...and 42...and 52.

Screw you, Mr. Hedge Fund. You're 29, look 42 and "date" girls with low self esteem who were probably born in the '90s, for only as long as your credit limit will allow. The world's a mighty cold place for people like you, too.

But they'll still be begging for your Christian generosity!

Israel Attacks Lebanon's Christian Heartland

I don't know if you've seen the commercials, but every break on Fox News, a plea for Christians to donate money to help Israel fight the Arab war launched upon them airs. I think this is preposterous, considering that Lebanon has a substantial Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, Maronite) population and many Palestinians are also Christian. This isn't Muslims vs. the "poor" Jews, this is Israel vs. any and everything vaguely Arab. I'm not saying Israel is entirely to blame for this (nor am I saying that the Arab nations are without fault), but these organizations that prey upon brainwashed Bible-belters are pretty despicable.

Of course, we should keep in mind that organizations like the one buying airtime on Fox News have little to do with Israel and more to do with supporting anti-Arab (or shit, I'll say it, anti-brown, period) hate mongering. It's a shame that the ADL doesn't call some of its "own" to task for a change.

To continue this whole theme of disconnect...

MoorishGirl has some really thoughtful commentary about the current situation in the Middle East.

Bomani Jones will be on A&E this Saturday, August 5th @ noon EDT on "The Michael Jackson Story." He's one of my favorite people, so make sure you check him out (fingers crossed that he's nice to MJ, you know what happens when he's not).

This should have been the cover of B'Day.





G'night kids.