Category Archives: Book Notes

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Famed ’90s R&B Star Montell Jordan Launches THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT With Special Guest DJ Tony Tone…

Hello World,

Grammy Award-Winning and ’90s R&B icon Montell Jordan launches THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT with special guest DJ Tony Tone.   This is the ultimate ’90s themed dance party for couples on April 12 in Atlanta, Georgia at Ponce City Market’s Rooftop Terrace.  Montell and his wife, Kristin have focused their ministry on marital counseling and coaching. Together, Montell and Kristin Jordan began both their marriage and music career journeys over 20 years ago. They entered the recording industry as artist and manager with the #1 hit song This Is How We Do It less than one year after saying “I do.” The challenges of being married in the music business resulted in an unpredictable story where after two decades of world tours and millions of album sales, they chose marriage over music, faith over fame, and significance over success. Ultimately, they allowed God to reinvent their lives to focus on their family values, their passion to see the covenant of marriage reestablished, and to restore hope in the hearts of men and women everywhere.

In a society where divorce has become commonplace and the very institution and definition of marriage is under attack, they have navigated some of the roughest waters and returned to help others in their marital journey.  Their marriage has endured and overcome some of the greatest trials imaginable, however, they now are able to serve as ambassadors of hope.  Recently, Montell and Kristin have co-authored their first book This Is How We Do It! Making Your Marriage A Masterpiece. They now travel the world with a goal of spreading that hope and love to help others.  A reconciled husband and wife make a stronger marriage; a stronger marriage makes a better family; stronger families make better churches; stronger churches make better communities and stronger communities make a better world.  With that said, the Jordan’s are bringing their world culture back to their backyard in launching THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT.

The event will start for VIP early entry at 6pm and 7pm for general admission.  For more information, please go to ThisIsHowWeDateNight.EventBrite.com.

“Music has a powerful way of bringing people together, and ‘ This Is How We Date Night’ is all about creating unforgettable moments withloved ones,” says Montell.

For more information on Montell and Kristin Jordan, go to montellandkristin.com and Instagram.

Also, I saw this great interview with Vlad TV and Montell Jordan a while back. If you’re interested in that interview in which Montell recounts his childhood, how he got into the music industry, cheating on his wife, becoming a Christian and more, click HERE.

 

 

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Oprah Winfrey To Host Primetime Television Event, ‘An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,’ Airing Monday, March 18, on ABC and Next Day on Hulu…

Special Features Conversations With Medical Experts and People Who Have Taken the Medications, Discussing the Pressing Questions Around Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and Other Prescription Diabetes and Weight Loss Meds...

 

Hello World,

This is not expressly a Christian topic, but body image issues have had me seeking God for many years. Like many young girls growing up in America and likely elsewhere, I struggled with my weight and thoughts about whether I was enough because of my weight. At one point in my life, I overexercised as a way to my control my weight. Thank God I no longer feel compelled to overexercise and I am now more accepting of how God made me externally and internally. All of that being said, I have never been obese so I don’t know what it’s like to struggle with hundreds of extra pounds. But because of the struggles that I have had, I have paid attention to all of the ways that people approach weight loss, and I’ve definitely watched Oprah and how has she has traveled on her years-long weight loss journey. I remember when Oprah wheeled that wagon of fat onto her show while wearing skinny jeans, I bought Make the Connection: Ten Steps to a Better Body – and a Better Life, her book with exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer Bob Greene the same year I graduated from college in 1996; I paid attention to when she connected with Weight Watchers more recently and now she has left Weight Watchers in favor of weight loss medications. And she looked snatched too especially while promoting The Color Purple! For her sake, at 70 years old, I hope she’s come to a place of peace and acceptance around weight WHILE doing the best she can with the body God gave her. 

And so I will be watching as Oprah Winfrey hosts a sit-down conversation around the radical impact of prescription weight loss medications in the primetime event, An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution, airing MONDAY, MARCH 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC and the next day on Hulu. The special delves into the prevailing questions and concerns surrounding the impact on our health care, economy, lifestyle and culture.

Speaking in front of a live studio audience, Oprah gathers the country’s leading medical experts and everyday people who are in the battle of one of the biggest health care crises the world has ever known. For the first time in history, new drugs could prove to be the game changer to stem the tide of people living with obesity, an epidemic which has grown exponentially since the 1970s, costing $173 billion per year in medical costs in the United States alone.

“It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity,” said Oprah Winfrey. “This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.”

“We are thrilled to work with Oprah and the voices she has assembled to open a dialogue that destigmatizes and educates viewers on the important and polarizing topic of weight loss,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group. “I can think of no one better to lead this meaningful conversation about such a critical issue that touches all of our lives.”

Joining the conversation are medical experts including Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Amanda Velazquez and patients from around the country who have a range of personal experiences with prescription weight loss medications, including a teenager who was among the first to take the new drugs and begs the question whether these medications should be given to minors. Oprah also invites leaders from the two global pharmaceutical companies behind these revolutionary drugs to address what this means for the 100 million Americans and over 1 billion adults worldwide living with a deadly disease.

Key questions are addressed: Why is obesity designated a disease? Who are the medications really intended for? Who is eligible to receive weight loss drugs? What should folks ask their doctors? What are the short-term and long-term side-effects? What are the supply chain challenges and the impact on those with diabetes? Why is there shame surrounding taking medication, and what is the future of these medicines in our society and culture?

An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution is produced by Harpo Productions, executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tara Montgomery.

Here’s a conversation she had with Jimmy Kimmel a few days ago about her upcoming special. Didn’t she look and sound good? Definitely goals at 70…(And she shared a bit about Stedman as well…)

Will you be watching tomorrow?

About Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author. Over the course of her esteemed career, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, making her one of the most respected and admired figures today. For 25 years, Winfrey was host and producer of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, engaging in range of multifaceted cultural conversations. Currently, Oprah oversees Harpo Productions, serves as chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine and digital companion site OprahDaily.com, and the host of the award-winning podcast “Super Soul.”

For more information on An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution (#OprahSpecial), visit abc.com and follow ABC on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Any thoughts?

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What TikTok’s Reesa Teesa, 48 Oysters on a First Date and A First Date at The Cheesecake Factory Have in Common With My ‘Novel Destination Wedding’

GIVEAWAY Included In This Post!!!

Hello World,

Speaking of single black females, about a week ago, I watched the 50-something part viral TikTok series Who TF Did I Marry? over a two-day period. It was just that engaging. There were several things about the series that drew me into the drama. It mostly took place in metro Atlanta, Clayton County to be exact, where I lived for several years. Hilariously, Reesa Teesa referred to her lying ex-husband by the moniker Legion, which refers to being possessed by several demons in the Bible. She is a Christian and admitted that in hindsight, the Lord told her Legion was not her husband on her first date although she ignored the guidance she received on that first date. If you’re unfamiliar with this Reesa Teesa story, here’s an “An Extremely Thorough Guide to ‘Who TF Did I Marry’” by Danielle Cohen for The Cut.

Last week, a woman posting under the name Reesa Teesa started a 52-part TikTok yarn about her marriage to a man she called “a real pathological liar” and also “the United Nations of red flags.” Over the course of several days, she posted dozens of ten-minute videos unraveling how she ended up dating, marrying, and eventually divorcing a guy she claims lied about pretty much everything in his personal life. According to her account, the man — whom she’s calling Legion — relied on a convoluted network of fake phone calls, unverified paperwork, and pandemic-era logistical chaos to keep up his many charades.

But “Who TF Did I Marry?” is so much more than that — it is a prestige-television masterpiece, a chart-topping soap opera, a modern epic involving condiment HQ bureaucracy and two real-estate agents named Scott. (One of them may or may not be real.) To be clear, no one seems to have corroborated this woman’s story, so she is either a wildly good storyteller or a great candidate for the Nobel Prize in fiction. No matter; thousands of people have apparently taken ten hours of their precious lives to tune into her saga. Here is a drastically abbreviated version of what she claims happened. Strap in.

According to her videos, Reesa matched with this man on two different platforms, Facebook Dating and Hinge, though he apparently had used his full name on one and his nickname and different photos on another. (In retrospect, the first of many ominous signs.) Throughout the thread, she refers to him as Legion — as in the biblical man possessed by demons — which she says is the same name she uses to talk about him with people in her life these days. Because we are all now intimately acquainted with Teesa, we will be using that name here too.

To read the rest, click HERE. 

So after digesting this series, I thought back about two other TikTok viral sensations from a few months back:

Have y’all heard about the woman who refused to get out of the car on a first date because her date took her to The Cheesecake Factory? If not, check out this article about it HERE.  Or what about the woman who ate 48 oysters on first date and had to foot the bill after her date left without her realizing it? If not, check out that article about it HERE.

What do all three of these viral dating stories have in common with my first novel Destination Wedding? All four are about dating in Atlanta, which can be treacherous…And that, in part, is why I wrote Destination Wedding…See the synopsis below…

Three successful best friends in Atlanta believe they are thriving in the Black Mecca. Bossy bank executive Senalda breaks down men from business to bed no holds barred. Hip hop PR guru Jarena praises the Lord and pursues married men with equal persistence. Famous and infamous radio personality Mimi fights with her fans and for the love of her on-and-off-again boyfriend.

But when an ABC News Nightline report, “Single, Black, Female — and Plenty of Company,” asks why can’t a successful black woman find a man? The friends are suddenly hyper-aware of their inclusion in the sad statistic: 42% of black women who have never been married. Like the women in the report, they are career-driven, beautiful black women living in Atlanta who have everything — but a mate. They resolve to defy the statistic by marrying in a year and have it all by tackling their goal as a project with a vision board, monthly meetings, and more. Project Destination Wedding is born. A “happily married” best friend Whitney is a project consultant.

But as the deadline ticks closer, the women wonder if they can withstand another year of looking for love in the media-proclaimed no-man’s land of Atlanta. Senalda wrests a marriage proposal from the male version of herself, but the proposal comes simultaneously with a devastating secret. Jarena unleashes hell when her call to ministry coincides with dating her married college sweetheart. Mimi faces losing her career and jail time chasing her boyfriend and marries another man in the process. Whitney’s power couple profile plummets when her husband, a pornography addict, announces he would rather pursue photography than be an MD.

Inspired by an actual Nightline report, Destination Wedding charts four women’s journeys as they discover that love is not an experiment easily confined to a timetable.

I know that Destination Wedding is fiction, but trust and believe real-life stories are woven into the words…Here’s one reviewer’s opinion about Destination Wedding:

I can’t believe this is the author’s first book! The characters were well developed and she clearly did her research on mental health, sex addiction, marital statistics of black women, and Atlanta culture. Hoping to see it on Lifetime or BET as a movie!

If you’re interested in reading Destination Wedding, I will send a free copy to you if you name the city in Clayton County where Reesa Teesa lived with her ex-husband Legion. Reply to this post, and I will email you to get your mailing address.

Any thoughts?