“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
– The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Dirty, Little Secret of the BET Awards
Legendary photographer Bill Jones shares a moment with Oscar winner Halle Berry
Sometimes, you have to do the right thing, and let the chips fall where they may fall! I’ve been meaning to share this post with you, but my day job got in the way!
Anyway, in my last post, I wrote some funny commentary why I was glad the BET Awards show was over –that is, the constant need to suck in my stomach and wear shapewear to look good in all of my dresses, posing next to twentysomethings! Read it, here. I’m happy to report that since the writing of the post, I’ve begun my workout regimen! A girl can only suck in so much! Plus, I’m eight months away from being the BIG 5-0, and I want to be fit and fine! But again, I digress.
Anyway, the dirty little secret that I didn’t tell you about the BET Awards was how the powers-that-be didn’t credential Black press to attend and cover the awards show. Yes, you heard that right: BET brass denied access to Black press to cover a show, whose demographics target Black people. Did I mention that the “B” in BET stands for “Black.” And yes, this is beyond cray cray!
The Bumps, Bulges & Bootylicious Bodies of the BET Awards
GIVING GOOD GLAM! (l-r) Kudos to Jai’Lauren Griffin, 21, and reality star Brandi Maxiell, twentysomething, for giving good glam on the red carpet at the BET Awards. xo
I’m so glad the BET Awards are over! I’m physically exhausted after endless days and nights of beauty suites, special events, and parties. Most of all, I’m tired of holding my stomach muscles in, as I posed for the cameras and worked side-by-side with my glamorous clients. Case in point: the lovely Brandi Maxiell of VH1’s “Basketball Wives LA.” With model good looks and built like an Amazon, she towers over me at 5’ 10” flatfooted!
After a week of festivities, I feel I can finally breathe again, because my stomach area isn’t all bandaged up with some type of shapewear, albeit Spanx or the new line, Shaped by An Angel, designed by my friend and celebrity fashion designer Angela Dean. Every day, I’d spanxed (is that even a word?) myself up to give the illusion of a very flat stomach! Once upon a time, I had the flattest stomach of them all. But, I was also in the gym five days a week, running at least 15 miles on a treadmill. Those were the days, when I lived for the gym. I was a regular gym rat!
Luckily, I’ve always been physically fit and athletic. I really never had to watch my weight. And yes, it’s a wonderful luxury. My freshman year in college, I weighed 100 pounds, and some of my friends would call me “Slim” on the yard because I was well … slim! Of course, I didn’t appreciate my body back then because I had other issues to worry about – like being skinny with no curves and flat chested. Oh lord, I can only laugh now when I think about of ALL OF THE AGONY I put myself through over a bra size! Shoot, I wish I’d known back then that I could just buy some boobs as big as I wanted to my heart’s content. I would have saved up some cash! LOL Oh well, I’m over it now. I’ve accepted myself as I am.
I HEART MY GAYS!
President Barack Obama Proclaims June 2014 as LGBT Pride Month
In recognition of June as LGBT Pride Month, I wanted to share another column from my vault, which first appeared online in 2012 on NoMoreDownLow.TV. Back then, I covered the 2012 Democratic National Convention as an ally correspondent for NoMoreDownLow.TV, and still serve today as a publicity consultant for the show. Also, for the second year in a row, executive producer Earnest Winborne and the show have been nominated for a Salute to Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). Here’s the nominated episode, titled “Unsolved Black LGBT Murders & Attacks.”
I’ve been an ally for the LGBT community for as long as I can remember. See, sometimes, you don’t find a cause, but a cause finds you! #GayPride
From the Vault:
A Black Girl Dishes on Her Straight Attitude About Gays
DNC or bust!
I’m heading to the Democratic National Convention as a publicist for Washington Post columnist and blogger, Mary C. Curtis; plus, I’ll be covering LGBT-related stories as an ally correspondent for NoMoreDownLow.TV. It’s an entertainment web series that focuses on the African American LGBT community. If you haven’t already, visit NoMoreDownLow.TV or the YouTube Channel.
What can I say, the gays love me. I don’t know if I wear an invisible sign, but they’ve always been drawn to me like a bee to honey. For as long as I can remember, friends, family and colleagues started coming out to me at various stages in my life. See, sometimes, you don’t find a cause, but a cause finds you!
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Dr. Maya Angelou
LADIES NIGHT!
Bringing Love to the City!
I love this picture of Chenoa Maxwell, just kicking up her heels on a Saturday night! I don’t know who’s car she’s on, but the guy can’t be too mad at her, right?
I love it when I can mix business with pleasure. And that was certainly the case when the cast members of OWN’s “Love in the City” brought their East Coast vibe to Philippe Chow in Beverly Hills on Saturday, May 17, 2014 for a viewing party.
My client, two-time Emmy-winning celebrity hairstylist Kiyah Wright, along with her BFFs — that is, actress-turned-photographer Chenoa Maxwell and breast cancer survivor Bershan Shaw mixed and mingled with fans, while watching the latest episode of their docu drama on Oprah’s network. These girls have been friends for more than 10 years! Imagine … doing a reality show with your best friends! Unfortunately, bestie Tiffany Jones couldn’t make the road trip out West this time around, and missed all the fun. The event was hosted by Eyelash Guru Ja’Maal Buster. I’m so glad the producers of ReelUrbanNews.com were there to capture all the fun. Plus, you can see me in action at work and play!
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
A Flack. A Spin Doctor. A Prostitute. A Pimp.
A flack, a spin doctor, a press agent. Of course, all these terms are synonymous with the profession of public relations – that is, a publicist. A publicist is a person who shapes and molds the brand and image of a person, place or thing. A good publicist is also a salesperson and a master of persuasion. I recently told someone: “If a publicist can’t sell ice water to an Eskimo, then he or she is in the wrong profession!”
Wyllisa’s logo
I often proclaim myself as a “publicist du jour,” which in French, translates to mean publicist of the day. It just sounds better in French, doesn’t it? Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: The moniker is also a nod to a very famous and classic 1967 French movie, “Belle de Jour,” starring the award-winning French actress Catherine Deneuve. The film is about a housewife who spends her afternoons as a prostitute while her husband goes to work.
I have to admit, sometimes, I feel like I’m in the business of prostitution on my day job, hence the clever, little nickname. And I’ve told my clients on many occasions that I’m their publicity pimp, who will put them on a corner for the sake of any and all publicity. I love a good headline. What can I say? I can’t help it! Thank God, my line of work is legal! My mantra: All publicity is good publicity!
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