Cleveland-Brown

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Love don’t live here anymore.

Cleveland-Brown has been a joy to curate, but sadly I must move on to another girl. The Red Read chronicles my journey to becoming a fierce feminine force through personal column - a collection of quotes, images, sounds, and editorials. I hope you follow me there.

And if you’re not into reading (shame!), I’m always dropping fun things in my toy box. 

Cleve’s Roundup 4.4.12

• Reality Wives - Exploitive Love or Master Networking?
• For Better or Worse, Reality Shows Lead the Way in Diversity on TV
• June Ambrose: Assertive in Style and Business
• Why More Black Women Need to Be Content Creators
• Cashing In on Blue Ivy
• Solange Makers Her Own Lane
• Can Rihanna’s Reign Last?

"Latoya Peterson opined bluntly that if Mad Men continues to ignore race, “it is truly written by cowards.” But what much of the commentary misses is that Mad Men is not just a show that happens to be set in the racially charged 1960s. It’s a show about advertising. And it is advertising, not Mad Men, that is written by cowards."

—

“Mad Men and Black America,” Slate

*slow claps*

I never understood the outrage over the lack of Black characters on Mad Men. This is a show about admen in the 1960’s. Up until the period the new season covers, Blacks were invisible to these men, accept when they were in subservient roles. Why do expect to see anything different? Sometimes to stay true to the characters’ story, you have to be politically incorrect, because the truth is politically incorrect. I’m glad Matthew Weiner opted to present some semblance of the truth, rather than cave to making a show that makes “us” feel better.

Must we do this with you Chris and Rihanna?

I was all set to do a blog on the Chris Brown/Rihanna collaboration debacle. But, midway through editing I just became so… over it. Why bother when Latrice Royale captures my sentiments perfectly?

Cleve’s Roundup 2.17.12

• Brandy and Monica Demonstrate the Benefits of Embracing Rivals
• Viola Davis’s Lessons For Surviving Your Industry
• How M.I.A. Used Her Middle Finger To Bump Up Business
• The Smith Family: Continuing To Leverage Familial Bonds

Congratulations to Adele for slaying the Grammys. The above photos are from her spread in the upcoming issue of Vogue. 

My next question, the fashion pubs have always said they use rail-thin models because the clothes look better on them. Um, what now?

The number one song on the day I was born; we’ve been singing together ever since.

Rest in peace Whitney.