Recovering from a stomach virus, Sunday was a TV day for me. Flipping through the channels I found myself watching the Sex and the City movie. (Hey, it’s not like I paid for ticket; and Jennifer Hudson’s part was embarrassing. Her rented bags and then so happy to get her very own Louis Vuitton. In the words of Mark Jackson, “You’re better than that.”) That served as a warm up for Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose in The The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Based on the series of ten novels by British author Alexander McCall Smith, the HBO screen adaptation is simply one of the most refreshing shows on TV at the moment.

Filmed on location in Botswana, JIll Scott is fantastic as Mma Precious Ramotswe. Precious inherits 180 cows after her father’s death that she sells at auction. She has the audacious idea to start a detective agency to help the people of the country she loves and because as she says, people want to know why things happen. With a cup of bush tea she sits outside her freshly painted shop with not a single customer in sight, but with patience and words of encouragment by a barber shop owner next door, she’s feeling good about her prospects. Every detective needs a secretary; enter Anika Noni Rose as Mma Grace Makutsi. A graduate of the Botswana Secretarial College. She’s quick to point out her 97% percent grade average and efficiency with all office duties. Her super-perfectionist personality make for some laughable moments.

In this first of six episodes we meet a dubious daddy; a cheating husband who loves thick women ala Jill Scott; a child kidnapped by a witch doctor; a missing finger scam; and Idris Elba makes a surprise appearance in a return to his Wire/captain of the thugs roots.

The combination of comedy, drama, and mystery is light-hearted entertainment worth watching.

Some people have complained that the complexity of the books got lost in translation, but isn’t that the case with most book to screen projects? People are also saying that African actors should have been used instead of Americans with ‘bad’ African accents. Saying HBO could have used this as a chance to highlight fantastic African actors and actresses. On this side of the globe who is going to watch a show with a bunch of foreign actors? A mix and match of recognizable American faces with Africans was necessary for eyeballs. Like yours.

If you missed it, catch a re-run and tune in next week. How about a snippet?

New faces, new money; See the chick in the middle? That’s Rye Rye, M.I.A.‘s young protege from Baltimore, Maryland. Rye Rye is the first artist signed to M.I.A.‘s N.E.E.T label. Her as yet untitled album will be released this year. Coming off a performance at this year’s SXSW conference, Rye Rye grabbed some additional stage time yesterday at the A|X Music Lounge in Miami. What did she perform? She has a dozen or so songs in the vault, but the highlight was “Bang.” A song on her album and rumored to be included on the Fast and Furious 3 soundtrack.

To damper the ‘who what?’ factor the song is listed as an M.I.A./Rye Rye collaboration. Believe that only if you consider a looped one-word sample of M.I.A. as legit participation.

Rye Rye “Bang”

Said elsewhere, but I agree: it sounds like a dump from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. That’s a good thing. *Insert in Five Spot playlist*

I forget where I was, but earlier this week there was a picture of Janet Jackson looking like a cousin of the Klumps. You know, that weird 300 pounds she manages to pack on and then shed in six months time? Anyway, yesterday Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri were caught in the frame of a pap’s lens as they left the Waverly Inn in NYC.

She doesn’t look fat in this shot. The color scheme and lights in the nearby bush (up top) make it look like Christmas, but other than that, she looks la normale. I think it’s safe to say those big girl Janet pics is the fat suit she drags out of the closet aka her own version of disguise that brother Michael uses.

Does this kill a rumor as well? > I thought these two hit splitsville.

On Monday, Mya was at Bungalow 8 in NYC for DJ Kiss’s birthday party. There is the birthday girl.. on the right.

A female Spinderella and doing well. She’s got 30+ gigs in the next 30 days.

Ray-J was also in the place and the ear of Mya; get those rumors started right about.. now. Not sure how Mya’s Sugar and Spice Japan-only album did, but she is currently in and out of the studio working on a new album. If she’s lucky maybe this time people will actually be able to find the thing.

In preparation (and paying the bills) here is Mya performing at Club Zodiac a few months ago.

On Sunday afternoon, Monica was a guest at Atlanta radio DJ, Frank Ski’s Kid foundation luncheon. She was also honored as a local legend. ← Nuff said. Are you digging her look? I call it doubling up on the real. In a recent “Living the Life” episode Monica was in the studio working on a song for her long overdue sixth album. When asked about the ‘red swoop’ Monica gave the music industry a diagnosis..

“Let me tell you what the problem is..  people do not want to be real. They to afraid of what that’s gonna mean to somebody else. You can only be you. God created us all as individuals so if you not feeling me because I’m me then you must have problems with yourself, because he created us in our own light. From the way we talk, to the way we look, from the color of your skin, to your hair.”

There’s the double: music is one, the hair is two.. (continued)

“That’s why I just - I ain’t even bought a bag of weave in the last four years. I’m over it. I’m sick of it. I’m wearing what I got.”

Hear that (and more) for yourself..

Monica in the Studio. Living the Life

I was listening to a podcast last week, these business types were talking shop and one of them said Barack Obama inspired him to keep his New Year’s resolution to exercise. “Here’s a guy, the President of the United States, you know he has things to do and yet he finds the time to exercise for 45 minutes, every day. What’s my excuse?” On the campaign trail, especially towards the end, this miraculous time management thing of his was on display as well. He’d give a midnight rally speech and be back at it a few hours later at an early morning rally in another state. Does the guy ever sleep?

With the AIG mess all over the place, Barack Obama still found the time to fill out a March Madness bracket for ESPN. It’s not like he picked up a pen and picked teams randomly, just hoping for the best. The guy peeled off names of coaches, knew which players are injured and doing well/not, teams that finished strong. This is amazing stuff for anyone that understands the amount of *umm* ‘research’ that goes into the average pool bracket.

Barack Obama Makes his March Madness Picks

He picked North Carolina to win it all and sent them a message..

“The Tarheels that are watching. I picked y’all last year. You let me down. This year, don’t embarrass me in front of the nation.”