Hey Mofos!

Time for another movie review! Wicked fans this is for yewwww!

If the first Wicked film was the awakening, Wicked: For Good is the ascension.

This final chapter doesn’t just continue the story, it cracks it open, pours salt into the wounds, and then somehow brings healing right through the center of the pain. So bring your tissues.

This movie is about power, perception, and the cost of choosing yourself when the world would rather choose your narrative for you.

And baby… the way they close this story?

It’s not just cinematic, it’s a spiritual experience.

But first, here's the synopsis:

The sequel picks up right where we left off:

Elphaba is now the fully demonized “Wicked Witch” who lives in exile, hiding in the forest while fighting for Oz’s silenced Animals and exposing the Wizard’s lies. Cynthia Erivo gives us the Black (errr green) woman who’s been worn down by the world, demonized, taunted, but yet strengthened by it. Her solitude feels holy, intentional, necessary. Sometimes, especially now, a woman needs some SILENCE to figure out the next move.

Ariana Grande as Galinda/Glinda--hell, however you spell her name, is masterful in her portrayal of  living the soft pink life in Emerald City. The popular girl is adored, crowned, pampered, and sitting pretty under Madame Morrible’s manipulation. I love her home by the way.. I love all things pink and want it! 

She’s the sparkling face of “Goodness,” but inside she’s fractured, grieving the loss of her once-in-a-lifetime friendship with Elphaba. As Glinda’s fame rises and a wedding to Prince Fiyero approaches, Oz starts to crack. A girl from Kansas drops in (literally), old secrets resurface, and an angry mob hunts the Witch.

And when Oz starts to fall apart, the only person Glinda can’t stop thinking about is the friend she betrayed.

It all builds toward a final collision: Good vs the perceived Evil. A tale that is also found in the Bible. 

Let’s get into it, because this is where the movie left an imprint on my spirit. 

There is a pivotal moment when Elphaba “melts” sinks into the floor, swallowed by the world that misunderstood her.

But I say this with my whole new smaller chest: She doesn't melt, she MOFO'N transforms after having to surrender to a world that she cannot change. 

This scene is a ritual. It's like watching a spiritual death that is required before resurrection.

Because when she rises (you see the parallel) she comes back as a woman choosing herself, finding the beauty in a dark world, and choosing freedom to live.

It is the most powerful metaphor for dying to the self that the world created and being reborn as the self YOU choose. A moment ya'll. One I can relate to on so many levels.

Meanwhile, Glinda’s journey is all glitter on the outside and guilt on the inside. Glinda seems to have it all, but being pink, frilly and good can’t hide her hurt. Her heartbreak over Elphaba is the emotional core of the movie, and their final reconnection hits harder because these two women finally see each other fully flaws, failures, and all.

The music isn't as powerful as the first film, and honestly, things were so packed into the first film, that this movie leaves you sitting there wondering WTF did I just see. BUT, with that being said, in this film, the performances and the emotional payoff lands exactly where it should. 

The film comes out on Friday, November 21. Make sure you wear your finest pink and green, cuz you know I did! 

Let me know how you like it when you see it. 

~Meik

 Hey Mofos!

I went to the movies again! This time to screen the new film The Running Man starring that fine Glen Powell! 

I wasn't sure what the film was going to be about and then my dad mentioned that it was a remake of a 1987 film of the same name. Oh. 

Clearly I haven't seen the 1987 version, but this one was action packed from the moment we sat down in our seats. 

The new version, out this Friday, November 14, isn’t your dad’s version. It’s slick, stylish, and surprisingly smart. Director Edgar Wright really made a fan out of me with this one. But first let me tell you about the movie plot without any spoilers of course. 

Glen Powell plays Ben Richards, a working-class man desperate to save his sick daughter with the timeline being in the future. When life backs him into a corner, he does the only thing he can do to make money, he joins a violent reality competition where contestants have to survive being hunted on live television.  If that sounds wild, it is but tell me it doesn’t also sound like something we’d all tune into in 2025. Also, tell me this doesn't sound like today's economy when people are desperate to eat and for money. Can I pause right here to say his wife in this film is a Black queen (Jayme Lawson) that is GORGEOUS. 

Wright builds a world that feels a little too familiar. The screens, the spectacle, the social media blood bath because of course, everyone is still filming every little thing they see to post it online. It’s giving Black Mirror energy with a blockbuster budget. Powell carries the movie with the perfect balance of vulnerability and swagger, reminding you why he’s Hollywood’s favorite “next big thing.” He runs, he fights, all while looking sexy with blood on his face. I promise I'm not weird, that man is just gorgeous. 

The pacing and energy doesn't make the film seem like it's taking too long to get to the point. The action sequences kept the audience on edge, and the show commentary is a bonus in all of the right places. 

One of my favorite things in the movie aside from Glen Powell was seeing Coleman Domingo dressed to impress as usual as the host of the reality game show, and who isn't excited to see Spencer James, errr Daniel Ezra coming to the rescue as usual?

There were some cheesy moments that involved VHS tapes but I can overlook that. Overall,  The Running Man is about spectacle, survival, greed, and what happens when entertainment eats empathy. Sounds familiar doesn't it? 

There are several parallels to today's administration and the attempt to silence everything and everyone and paint a picture of "everything's all good, we'll show you what we want you to see even if we have to use AI or edited versions to rile you up, or calm you down or turn you against who we want the enemy to be."

Ben Richards is the instigator and I'm here for it. He is the one that bucks the system and it's insanity all to protect his family. It gets no realer than that. Love can conquer hate. 

I would say, definitely check out the film if action in a dystopian thriller is your jam. 

It's in theaters on 11/14! 

Let me know what you think! 

Until later, 

~Meik

 Hey Mofos! 

It's been a minute but I'm back. I was busy recovering from surgery but I'm ready to share my story. 

As you know, I had a long roller coaster of a ride with fibroids that ended with a hysterectomy in 2022. I decided to do something for me, and that meant going in for a breast reduction, because I was tired of lugging around a G cup and then while I was there decided to add on removing the shelf that was full of scar tissue and tears from all of my previous surgeries, and that resulted in a mini-abdominoplasty and some lipo. 

Whew chile, it's been a hard 3 1/2 months, but I decided to share the whole story on my podcast, Ladies Edition Podcast, so check it out here. Eventually I'll write a blog to give more tips as soon as I'm a lil further out in my recovery, because now chile, I'm still swollen and tired. 

Check it out:

 Hey Mofos!

*note I wrote this in Dec--just didn't update it and hit post til now*

I started this blog 50'levum years ago to talk about my dating experiences with the worst of the worst. Along the way, I kept the stories close to the vest of the rare moments I fell hard for some questionable ones in hindsight. 

Everyone says dating is fun and I thought, my heart has been hurt so many times that maybe it's easier to date someone I already know. 

WRONG ANSWER! 

It's almost like they take it as a personal challenge to take your heart and stomp on it, twist it up then throw it back in your face. This last "relationship" had to be the 2nd craziest situation I found myself in. I had a crush on this man since I met him in the 90s. Enter Facebook and we reconnected and it was like the stars aligned and finally my crush liked me back! Getting to know him as an adult made me fall even harder. I think it also helped that he didn't run for the hills when I shared that I had fibroids, had to have iron infusions, couldn't wear heels because of fibroid surgery nerve damage and my weight was all over the place, plus, I couldn't have kids. He didn't care about any of that. 

We were long distance, so of course, I was okay with that, because I didn't want him to see my hair falling out, how exhausted I was from low ferritin/iron, the changes that took me thru, the uterus that made me look 7 months pregnant, and going for iron infusions like clockwork. When I finally decided to have the hysterectomy after another failed surgery, I didn't want anyone--not even friends to see me struggling to pick myself up and adjust to a new body with hormones bouncing all over the place. He asked me to be his girlfriend and it was all I had ever wanted to hear. We video called almost daily and we just clicked. 

Two days after my surgery-- he asked me to borrow some money--he was frantic, and while I barely had energy to get out of the bed and walk to the other end of my mama's house, I thought one time will be okay? Then I didn't hear from him again for weeks. Weird for a new boyfriend right? Why didn't he come visit after my surgery you ask? GOOD DAMN QUESTION.. not a flower, card, piss, boo, bye. NOTHING. 

He finally checked in around 3 weeks post op, told me he had quit his job blah blah blah and was in Florida. And no, he didn't pay me back. 

Long story short, that man had 50'levum jobs over the course of our 2 year relationship and I tried to be patient and understanding all while healing and building Check the Rhymes TV and soon Ladies Edition. But during the first year, we got closer, he got a job where he was on the road a lot, and  he was sending me money just cuz and there were promises of the future and  he kept telling me he loved me blah blah blah. Then, the worst happened, my granddeddy fell and things went downhill quick. During that time I was going back and forth to my hometown and he sent me gas money every time and made sure I had money to eat. But when my granddeddy passed in March 2023, my life changed and I was no longer the same person. I thought, my man will come and help me thru this right? NAWL. He kept running to Florida because of his house and his brother allegedly. Didn't come to the funeral-- which I didn't fault him for that since my family decided to have it literally 3 or 4 days after he passed, so a lot of people didn't get to come. BUT he managed to get his ass to Florida a couple weeks later. 

In July 2023, I had enough of the "I'm coming" and never seeing him. I was done. He then shows up with a layover on his way to go live in the Midwest. Yes, y'all I saw my boyfriend for a whole 15 minutes at the airport, a year into this ragglass relationship. 

Six months later, my niece was killed in a tragic car accident. Do you think this man comforted me at all? Nope, I found out a few weeks ago that while I was sitting in a church looking at my niece in a casket, he was busy cheesing and taking pics with some heffa in Florida. I kept asking him WHO is in Florida-- but it was always this house, my brother blah blah blah. 

Two years I kept listening to his promises of coming to visit or move back to NC. TWO DAMN YEARS. Actually more than that. 

I would get so excited and then disappointed. The roller coaster was too much. I was killing myself trying to look how I thought he wanted me to look and then he'd come. Spoiler alert-- he didn't.  He'd switch jobs, going to all other states, but avoided NC and me like the plague. 

My self esteem plummeted, but I had a show to do, Soulibration was born and I had to focus on that dream. I kept listening to his promises, and his borrowing of money became too much and he'd pay me back on the rare occasion. Then I heard from some others that he was doing the same thing to them (not other chicks-- but friends we had in common). I was concerned, but he kept on promising he was coming and would gaslight and manipulate me into believing he really wanted to be with me. 

I started to get embarrassed of always talking about a boyfriend and realized, this man could barely remember my birthday, wouldn't say ish on any holiday, never introduced me to anyone but random people. I was becoming more and more frustrated, and I kept praying and hoping things would turn around. 

Then I found out this house he kept talking about belonged to an ex and it was an ex in the photos I saw, and even the car he was driving and showing off on Facebook, wasn't even his. It's interesting how on social media, all of his followers think he is some millionaire and he ain't got a pot to piss in, and has to borrow $5 just to get a slice of pizza--allegedly. It's sad that a man that's almost 50 years old has to play in y'alls faces too online to let you think he's something he totally isn't and hasn't been for awhile.  

How did I get here? Well, once all of that came out that he had no time to visit me but could see this chick and he admitted he didn't tell her about me because SHE is insecure. Bitch, you need to worry about ME. But anyhoo, once he said he was coming here to surprise me for the 100000000th time I said don't worry about it, you ain't been coming. I sent a text the next day breaking it off and realizing I deserve better than being someone's layaway telephone girlfriend. His response was that I was overreacting. I asked for my money back and 7 months later, I still don't have it.  Months went by before he finally apologized. It came after he thought showing his support of my career was a thumbs up on an IG post.  It sounded like he struggled with more than a mental health issue, but the thoughts of some kind of addiction started to appear in my mind. We spoke on the phone here and there, until the day of my Soulibration anniversary, he asked me for money right before I went live. I was LIVID. He knew this show meant a lot to me and I was beyond hype that I poured my heart and soul into a show that helped others. He didn't even congrats, nothing, just I NEED... 

Some other stuff happened and if I share that, then some of you will know who it is lol 

Memorial Day it hit the fan, he tried buttering me up all day long, with this speech of wanting to make it work, and going to handle the loser that sexually assaulted me in 2008 as a way to protect me, and blah blah. Little did he know, I found a therapist that got my ass together which is how I even had the strength to walk away and build my self worth months prior. I was ready this time. I knew how to spot the holes in his stories at this point. He asked me for $5, I fired back and asked why he always needs money?

The gaslighting response: "You look for any opportunity to keep an n-word down, and you just hate men."

Oh? I hate men now because I won't give into your demands now? Okayyyy sir. That comment fired me up and I lit into him and he threw back some hateful stuff even throwing the assault in my face. I remembered during his apology a few backs back, he shared that he wanted me to hate him. Game on. He succeeded. 

What pisses me off even more is that I allowed this to go on so long, and I didn't even go into ALL of the things. Maybe grief prolonged it so I was focused on that and work, or maybe a tiny part of me felt like things could change for the better. I want to get married so maybe it was the fact that he kept yapping about that that gave me a mustard seed amount of faith. 

I deserve better. No more bare minimum, no more narcissists, addicts, liars, ect.. and I'm throwing in athletes, personal trainers, and truck drivers just cuz. 

I'm tired of choosing wrong y'all. I literally don't have it in me to do this again. 

So I'm hanging up my dating hat for a while. I'm picking my crown back up and realizing my worth. Hell the one before that was verbally abusive and an alcoholic that went to jail for 30 days, but that's another blog. BUT how dare these ragglass mofos treat me like trash? I really just try to be their cheerleader and treat them the way I want to be treated and it's like they can't handle someone treating them right. They always go back to the toxic hell they love being dragged back to. 

Anyhoo, I wish this last mofo and the "ex" well --tho she prob never was an ex. I was just the dumb ass ATM and you know, she prob is too. Also, I'm not saying I'm the best looking but why come they always wanna run to someone that looks dusty?

As I look back on the relationship, it never really was one. It was a 90s crush that went down a wrong windy road and a reminder that sometimes you can't circle back cuz mofos may be the same, or they may have had a hard life and take it out on you. My wish for him is that he gets the help he needs before he wrecks someone else's life and bank account. I also wish he'd run my coins back. Now, he didn't get me for thousands upon thousands, I'm just grateful I woke up before that happened. 

Lesson Learned: Pay attention to the red flags. Actions speak louder than words. If they can't even do the bare minimum, fuck em. I have since revisited my deal breakers and boundaries because  I'm too old to be being a dummy like this even if it was the crush I always wanted. 

Sadly or maybe luckily, I no longer have a crush on this man or anybody from the past. (well I'm not counting my General Hospital crush). 

Picking up my feelings.. so until later.. 

~Meik