Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Rihanna Does It Again, With Her FentyHair Launch Pop-Up Then It’ll Pop Away.

By Laura Medina








Rihanna has always been a giver, which makes her a smart business lady.

Surprising, she waited this long to launch her haircare line.  Her core fan base is all about hair.

This skincare & makeup maven scribe doesn’t mind Rihanna started with much needed universal cosmetics then equally universally adaptive skincare.

Now today, starting 12 noon until it closes at 8pm tonight, fans, admirers, and curious lined up first thing in the morning, to get the first dub and rub on Rihanna’s FentyHair creams, protective serum sprays, and gel for care and styling and rich shampoo, traditional conditioner, and leave-in conditioner.

Rihanna doesn’t do a lot of fan experiences but when she does, it’s fan respectful and glamorous.

The hair styling station inside FentyHair pop-up, using the products, was all booked up.


Of course in today’s clean and functional green beauty, FentyHair up cycles leftover Jackfruit, Rihanna’s hometown Gooseberry, green tea extract, vegetable proteins, and amino acids.

Her Protective Type, a 5-In-1 heat protectant styler, is pretty light textured cream for protecting your tresses while curling in hot curling irons to shape, curl, twirl, and straighten.

As one of the first 100 at the opening,  this scribe was lucky first to soothe and smooth, thanks to Rihanna.





Friday, June 7, 2024

Paul Scheer & Martha Kaufman have a new “Friends” for 2020’s, Improv Sitcom, “DINKS.”

 By Laura Medina 


TV producer, Martha Kaufman, had her finger on the plus, zeitgeist.

It was about making a family out of your friends during the ‘90’s, hence “Friends.” That define that decade.

For the past twenty years, the LA slang, “DINKS,” abbreviation of “Double/Dual Income No Kids,” have been bouncing around LA, to signify a type of marriage and what it takes to live a comfortable life in LA.

With comedian Paul Scheer and his wife, a fellow stand-up, Martha Kaufman is putting out an new, fresh fly by your set, unscripted, improvised sitcom defining today’s relationship and “friends as family, “DINKS.”

How’s this for audience participation.

Before taping, Paul and wife would ask questions from the audience then incorporate the audience’s answers into the dialogue, with actors’ rapid responses, sans script and only guided by scene outlines. Then, it’s up to the cast to fill in, using audience’s answers.

This makes for one hell of a hilarious improv roller coaster ride.

The standard prime time sitcom is still there. 4 to 6 cameras for 4 to 6 takes in 4 to 6 angles for the best shots and lines complied together for an episode.

That’s the only thing traditional thing about “DINKS.”

The rest is a free-form Jazz of unscripted dialogue and comedic zingers, again using only audience’s answers.

The weirder and more unusual the answers, the more they run and direct the episode.

Generally, “DINKS,” is a newlywed yuppy couple, who have previous marriages to other people, joining up in purchasing then renovating an historically haunted house up in the more affordable foothills above LA proper.

Yes, “DINKS” is all about accepting “baggage,” from adopting aimless, adult nephews to accepting new neighborhood friends, such as the realtor who sold you an haunted house. 

Ah, the reality of living in LA, in 2020’s.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Tiffany Haddish’s Has ‘80’s Prom, She Always Wanted, For Her She’s Ready Foundation for Foster Kids.

 By Laura Medina




 As a normal foster kid, the prom and other social school dances weren’t high priorities for foster parents checking the checks from the kids, they’re fostering.

This stuck with, while scarring Tiffany Haddish for life.

During her formative teen years and early twenties, it was the comedians at The Laugh Factory that were her real adopted family. 

They may not be neglected foster kids, like Tiffany, but they were the nerds, the dorks, the social misfits who were invited, or never welcomed at the prom.

As for some of them, Canadians like Howie Mandel, prom simply isn’t part of the culture.

So, Tiffany Haddish’s “Adult” Prom isn’t just a fundraiser for her She’s Ready Foundation.  It’s a prom for fellow foster kids, like her.  It’s prom for her fellow comedians and Canadian comedians, like Howie Mandel.

Tiffany’s prom this year was Eighties overload. Rubik Cubes all over. Grab as much childhood Eighties penny candy. A flashing and blinking Rubik Cube dance floor. The traditional roast beef, salmon, and Turkey prom buffet. They have “Someone Spiked The Punch” cocktail and mocktail bars for designated drivers.

Even Tiffany had her hair permed a la Eighties.

She shared her high school prom of her dreams, by anointing Howie Mandel, Homecoming King while she’s Homecoming Queen.

She invited Dana Dane to be the headliner.

Not only did Tiffany’s Prom raised money for decent luggage for foster kids moving from home to home, it also gives mentorships and internships and scholarships for fellow foster kids.

Let not forget, Tiffany’s Prom is also for her fellow nerd, dork, and misfit comedians friends who are now A-list comedy and movie and TV legends and icons who are now rich enough to give back while throwing themselves an awesome party.  A true Revenge of the Nerds.

What’s the best part?

Tiffany’s Adult Prom happens every year.

Alright, it’s Hollywood’s Revenge of the Nerds. They have goody gifts as a thank you for all the guests.

In each goody bag, there’s Tiffany’s latest autobiography, “I Cuss You With Joy.”

In time for Father’s Day, Tiffany quoted most girls take their daddies for granted, whereas her dad skipped out on her and mom when Tiffany was a mere kid.

There are deeper meanings and apparent gratitude at Tiffany Haddish’s yearly Adult Prom.

Do Over with thanks and giving.


Flamingosis Got Gen-Z Joint Jumping with Live Latin Big Band Jazz-Funk

 By Laura Medina 



Ironically the same time the Conga Room was closing, a 
Nuyorican (a New York Puerto Rican) Gen-Zers Latin Jazz-Funk band, with a band leader/DJ, is rising up, getting Gen-Zers all ecstatic about live Latin Jazz-Funk, blasting big, bold, and loud by their Gen-Z peers.

Flamingosis is bringing back their Baby Boomer grandparents’ ‘70’s Latin Funk-Jazz-Disco, boldly flavored by a real-live trombonist and trumpeter blasting beats, overwhelming an ecstatic thumping happy, jump-jiving crowd.  Obviously, this was the first this canned music generation ever saw, heard, and feel the physical live 
vibrations of beats. But, they’re beats from a trumpet and
a trombone.

Yes, Flamingosis’ saxophonist warmed up the crowd with DJing, spinning tunes.

But the audience went crazy when the full band came out.
This when DJ became the saxophonist. One of the keyboardist is the guitarist. Of course, the audience went nuts when the trombonist and the trumpeter started blasting beats.

The Gen-Zers got twirling and spinning in feverish whirls, spinning to the live blasts of live Latin Jazz-Funk. This was their first time. Something their Baby Boomer grandparents took for granted way in the Disco Seventies.

See, grandma and grandpa knew how to get down with funk and the jazzy beats.

Flamingosis brings back the jive with the vibe.