"Teddy Bear" - Elvis Presley

Good afternoon peeps! Question: What is it about Teddy Bears that females like? Now I mean Teddy Bear both as the physical, stuffed toy ones and the metaphorical real ones. As a child and even into our teen-aged years, a lot of us females had some type of stuffed animal, doll or Teddy Bear that we hugged from time to time. It might have been for comfort, feeling secure or just to share secrets and imagined affection with. Some of us carried this fondness for stuffed animals into our adult lives and possibly even passed it on to our own daughters or sons. Upon entering adulthood, we might have transferred this affection to another type of Teddy Bear...a real man! Now, not all men qualify as Teddy Bears; they are a special breed. My definition of a "Teddy Bear" type of man is as follows: large or tall build, chocolate brown, cuddly looking, soft spoken; he exhibits a caring attitude as opposed to self-assured arrogance, and he aims to please his woman. Don't get it twisted though; he can hold his own against any man or (woman) and can be tough when the situation calls for it. He usually treats a woman with the utmost respect and tenderness, leading a certain type of female to take advantage of him. Once he is taken advantage of, he tends to distrust women for a minute, until he meets a trustworthy one again. When he does...look out! You are probably in for good love and caring! Certainly, my description is not the end-all-be-all of what a Teddy Bear is...it's just my opinion and definition. Disclaimer: Some Teddy Bears just play at it, so take my list with a grain of salt!

Here are my top Teddy Bears of all time:

1.Warren H. Small, Sr. (My dad; RIP)

2. Teddy Pendergrass

3 .Delroy Lindo

4. Idris Elba

5. Ving Rhames

6. Keith Gailliard

7.Carl Lumbly

8. Otis Redding

9. Gerald Levert

10. Rosey Grier

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Wifey" - by Next

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Wifey" - by Next

"Wifey" - by Next

Good morning peeps! The song I woke up thinking about this morning is Wifey by Next. Now ordinarily, I don't give a rat's a-- about current or recent music; I'm an old head with old musical tastes. However, there have been a few exceptions in recent years...wow, it's been nine years (2000) since Wifey came out! I was a part of a "Ghetto Fabulous" wedding in Harlem that year as a bridesmaid, and Wifey was one of the songs played at the reception, along with other songs in that genre. Included were: Let's Get Married, by Jagged Edge and I Wanna Know by Joe, the latter being a favorite of mine. Anyway, with the Tiger Woods' cheating scandal being in the news daily, I've been thinking about infidelity in relationships; particularly marriage, and pondering that age old question: why do people cheat? Why are men more likely than women to cheat? Some even claim that cheating is in a man's DNA! Why are beautiful women like Halle Berry, Christie Brinkley, Priscilla Presley, etc cheated on? I know that being physically beautiful doesn't necessarily mean having the best disposition or even being passionate. In fact, maybe being physically beautiful causes some women ( or men )  to feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to their relationships with their spouses or partners, and they want the spouse to do all the work...so to speak. Instead of a give and take partnership, it ends up being "one-sided" and the other partner isn't really being fulfilled. That being the case, the spouse will grow tired of that and seek pleasure elsewhere. ( I am not condoning, just rationalizing ). Of course there are a myriad of reasons why people in committed relationships or marriages cheat: sexual addictions, greed, unrealistic expectations about marriage, marrying too young.  We can only speculate as to Tiger Woods' motives. A musician friend of mine suggests that women very much "throw themselves" at high profile, extremely popular and wealthy men like Tiger Woods; ( I think we all agree on that ). He says that he has even had it happen to him. Although he is far from rich, just being a bass player in bands made him the "object" of many a predatory female...read: groupies! Now that he's older and wiser but still plays, he contends that he isn't so easily lured in anymore...yeah right! But, back to the title, "Wifey." Fellas, what does it mean to you? Is it a term of endearment for a woman you want to marry? Is it a code word for the woman you are already married to, and used to encourage women to pursue you anyway? Does it apply to a woman you have been with for years but haven't married? Is it reserved for your main woman though you might be dealing with more than one at a time? Is it a positive or a negative word? I have been a wife, but have I been a "wifey?" Huummm? I have a sweet friend that calls me his "wifey" and guess what...It makes me smile!

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Me and Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Me and Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Me and Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Me and Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul

"Me and Mrs. Jones" - Billy Paul

Good morning peeps! I missed you yesterday, because I was at The Bronx Zoo hanging with the lions and tigers and bears...oh my! However, I'm back today with my list of favorite "cheating" songs.Yeah, I know it's cheap and gratuitous, but hey...I didn't promise you a rose garden! I think in songs! Please add your favorites as well.

 Favorite cheating songs

1. Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul

2. Who Is He And What Is He To You? - Bill Withers

3. How Long Has This Been Going On? - Pablo Cruise


4. Kiss And Say Goodbye - The Manhattans


5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone - The Temptations


6. Careless Whispers - George Michaels


7. If Loving You Is Wrong - Luther Ingram


8. I Saw You (and him) Walking In The Rain - Oran "Juice" Jones



9. Somebody Else's Guy - Jocelyn Brown


10. Me And Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul or The Dramatics's version



11. You, Me and He -  Mtume


12. Your  Cheating Heart - Hank Williams


13.  I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye


14. O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature


15. Slip Away - Clarence Carter


16. Stranger - LTD

17.  Smokey Places - The Corsairs ( A favorite of mine since I was twelve; I was    musically precocious I guess)

18. Dark End Of The Street - James Carr


19. I'm In Love With The Other Woman - Ray Parker Junior


20. Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary Macgregor

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Who's Making Love To Your Old Lady, While You Were Out Making Love?" - Johnny Taylor

EAST COAST * WEST COAST DIVAS: "Who's Making Love To Your Old Lady, While You Were Out Making Love?" - Johnny Taylor