Ah yes, another episode of Amanda Diva TV. No blind governor jokes this time. On May 3, Amanda Diva took a trip to Philly for a performance at The Black Lily. It was the 2nd Annual Black Lily Film and Music Festival. The Black Lily is the soil that sprouted Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Jaguar Wright, and just about every other neo-soul/hip-hop face on (or off) the scene.

The jewels are the interviews with Ladybug Mecca, from Digable Planets (I’ve touched ground with her) and Bahamadia << if you know that name, you get an automatic fifteen points on your Hip-Hop SAT. Amanda also talked to producer/musician James Poyser (read your liner notes) and the founders of The Black Lily.

Just fight through the distorted sound during the performance clips. Someone was dubbin’ the mic on the speaker during the recording. 

Mariah Carey is canceling spots all over her personal calendar. She was supposed to be a guest on The View next Monday - not any more. A performance at the Dubai Festival Resort - I’m kinda busy now. Interviews on British radio stations - I’m not a morning person. It’s the glow of new love blinding outside distractions. So it was surprising to see Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon together at Lincoln Center last night for Time Magazine’s Most Influential People in the World event.

It was their first time in the public eye since they got matching tattoos (there is something weird going on with the lights in that picture, her face isn’t melting.)

It wasn’t just a red carpet moment, Mariah Carey got on stage to do that thing she does. As great as Mariah looks.. Happy.

You’ve got to believe that the money shot for the paparazzi is getting a picture of that “Mrs. Cannon” tattoo on her lower back.
It’s all anyone wants to see now. They should do an ‘exclusive’ couples photoshoot for a quick payday. Lacking baby pics to solicit that’s the next best thing.

Otherwise, every time they hit the beach this summer, there is going to be a zoom lens scoping out an ass shot.

*Edit* I’m hearing that People got that exclusive shot. Pick it up in the magazine or MariahDaily.com*
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Images: (Busaca/Countess/Wireimage)

Vanessa and Angela Simmons were at a Harlem sneaker spot this week, scribbling their names on Pastry sneakers for a ‘thousand’ people. Strike that.. a thousand young ladies. It’s nice to see the Simmons sisters haven’t grabbed microphones, attempting to become the next hot female rappers or singers. That would be too predictable. Instead they’ve channeled Auntie Kimora’s inner Baby Phat and infused it with a new youthful energy.

Judging by the in-store crowd, I think ‘youth’ is a fair assessment of a Pastry fan.

If you know/are a Pastry girl, the Simmons sisters are giving away five personalized Pastry Handbags. Hit this up for details.

Oliver Stone is hard at work, trying to crank out this year’s Farenheit 9/11. His biopic W about the soon to be ex-president, George W. Bush aka Who’s Osama?, is on full press. The listed drop date is 2009, but the word is Oliver Stone is hoping to have the movie finished by this October. Just in time for the November election.

Entertainment Weekly got first dibs on a photo of George and Laura Bush (Josh Brolin [No Country for Old Men] and Elizabeth Banks [40 Year Old Virgin].) The movie will be a dramatic reenactment of key moments of Bush’s presidency, but with all of the George Bush impersonations over the years on SNL, Comedy Central, etc., I find it hard to believe that anyone will take this as a serious movie.

An advance preview of the script includes such suspenseful scenes as..

“.. the Commander-in-Chief nearly choking to death on a pretzel while watching football on TV and a flashback of him singing the ‘’Whiffenpoof’’ song as a frat pledge at Yale, not to mention scenes in which he refers to his advisers by dorky nicknames — ‘’Guru’’ for Condoleezza Rice, ‘’Turdblossom’’ for Karl Rove, ‘’Balloon Foot’’ for Colin Powell — while discussing plans for the invasion of Iraq with the coolness of a late-night poker game.”

Yeah. This is going to be a 2 hour long comedy sketch.

No set photos yet, but..

Thandie Newton is playing Condolezza Rice

and Jeffrey Wright will be Colin Powell.

For the new folks.. here’s Condoleeza Rice on a more serious and not much publicized note.

Alright, I said I wouldn’t dig, but this kind of fell on my lap. People is reporting that Vogue’s fashion editor, Andre Leon Talley, got an email from Mariah Carey on Monday confirming her marriage to Nick Cannon. Take it and bake it..

“I received an email from her [Monday] and she is so happy. She really sounds like someone on her honeymoon. I love Nick Cannon for Mariah,” Talley said. “For Mariah, this is poetry.”

Now if the baby bump Mediatakeout rumor is also true, that would be something. 

Look at that picture. If you weren’t sure if Angela Bassett looked anything like Voletta Wallace, that’s proof positive the Notorious casting director got it right. As filming of Notorious continues (it began on March 23,) over at notoriousblog.net the folks involved with the film are keeping a decent set of updates.

They’ve just started to post videos. The first is a “Hey, my name is..” to introduce the cast and crew.

I’ve read some sketchy things about the script, but it seems their intention is to make a really good movie. I’ll reserve judgment on that until the private screening.

Ah.. more pics >> It’s “Biggie” and “Faith”

Govt names >> Jamal Woolard and Antonique Smith.

At what point did Biggie walk the street in a bathrobe like that ‘crazy’ mafia guy?

One of the extras patched in their on set experience.

This is real talk.

I was On Set with you all on both April 24th & 25th and I gotta say the experience was Overwhelming. I could feel the Love, Energy, Passion, and Unity as I watched y’all work hard to bring this project into fruition..

“The BklynBandette”
NO BITCH ASSNESS!!!

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Can the church say, Amen!