If you’re a fan of comic books and you missed the book reading/signing of Adilifu Nama’s Super Black, that I wrote about here back in October, well Lady Luck in definitely on your side. I stopped by Cal State Northridge University yesterday to see and photograph the opening of the Art & Design Center’s fantastic and exciting new exhibit, Fantastic Blackness: The Art And Politics of The Black Superhero, which is being curated by Adilifu. The pictures, by various artists such as John Jennings, Jamar Nicholas and Tim Bradstreet, are incredibly detailed, beautifully rendered and brilliantly displayed. Even though it’s being showcased in a rather small space at the university, the plethora of images and their visual impact is breathtaking; there is something for everyone. The show will run through March 10th, with a lecture this Monday, February 27th, by Professor Nama. Be sure to stop by.  

All photography by N.D. Harrington for The Sophisticated Gentleman

California State University, Northridge - West Gallery
Art and Design Center, Room 201
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8299
818-677-2156

While Teena Marie  (which I wrote about here) was my all-time favorite singer, Whitney Houston was definitely a close second along with Aretha Franklin (her aunt), Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole. But Whitney was something special. I fell in love with her and her voice from the moment I heard her belt out “You Give Good Love.” When I heard that she passed away yesterday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, only hours before the Grammy Awards, I can honestly say that I was devastated. She and Teena left us far too early.

I has recently started working at my first adult job at a bank in a rather exclusive enclave of Southern California. Sadly, we only had Muzak being piped in, but thankfully, my manager allowed me to bring in a little tape recorder where we played that song more times than I care to admit. A few short years later Kevin Costner and his then wife Cindy had become customers. Around the time that he had begun filming The Bodyguard, it was my birthday and he had come into the bank and while helping him he asked what I wanted for my big day. Well, instead of saying a small part in his film (and, most importantly, a chance to meet Whitney), I thought this would have been in poor taste, so I chickened out and instead said a date with his Australian au pair, Lisa; which, by the way, was also true. Well, as you can imagine neither ever happened. The au pair wound up quitting and the movie finally wrapped. Talk about missed opportunities.

Trust me, if I had a chance to do it all over again, I would have risked propriety and would have asked for the smallest of roles. So, while I never had the chance to meet Whitney, I like many, still feel that I knew her. She will be more than missed.                              (All Photos via Google.)

R.I.P.: August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012

My childhood uniform, in and out of season, consisted primarily of swimming trunks (odd since I never learned to swim) with a sling shot shoved deeply into one pocket and my trusted brownie camera safely tucked into the other.

Thankfully, the camera has better served me than did the trunks, since I’ve been taking pictures from about the age of 5;  zipping in and out of bedrooms and hallways, snapping pictures of my parents (much to their chagrin, I’m certain), as well as, other family members (my grandparents lived about eight houses away, while an uncle, aunt and five cousins lived directly behind us.) I eventually graduated to a Canon SLR in high school and was a photographer on the yearbook staff. I studied photography briefly a few years back and decided to take a refresher course this weekend with renowned photographer, Allen Cooley of Atlanta. If you’ve never heard of Allen, (which I had not) I’m rather certain that you’ve seen his work (which I definitely have) of such notable personalities as Vivica A Fox, Toni Braxton, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and LisaRaye to name but a few, in major publications like Essence, Jet and Ebony, etc. His work, whether of celebrities, weddings or interiors is extraordinary and as an instructor I found him most informative and most patient. Take a look…

And one for the ladies...

I've been reading the Missed Connections blog for quite some time now and was happy to see that it has been made into a book. While I've never gone so far as to put an ad in the paper in hopes of "reconnecting" with someone I may have ran into on the street, in a a coffee shop, etc. I do applaud those that have done so and have had it work out for them. How great would it be to commission the artist, Sophie Blackall, to do one of these amazing pieces for your wife/girlfriend as an anniversary gift. Especially, if through an ad, is how you really came to be together. The Perfect Gift! 

Monday, June 21, 2010
-m4w
I help you almost once a week at the grocery store with your seafood purchases. I doubt you'll see this, but if you do, please respond back. I'll know it's you when you tell me the specific seafood you ask for each week.

Saturday, March 6, 2010
- m4w - 25 (Chelsea)
I was with two friends who you considered negative. I would like to meet you again sometime, you were funny. Also, I have big hair...blue jacket

Sunday, April 26, 2009
– m4w – 24
You wore an awesome color changing dress to the BBQ on Skillman Ave 
in Williamsburg, but someone spilled wine on it.
You left too quickly...I'd like to see you again.

We know him as the frontman for Maroon 5 and now as a judge on The Voice, but in this month’s issue of Architectural Digest we get to see how Adam Levine lives behind the scenes. His 1940's Ranch Style home, in LA's Hollywood Hills, is everything you’d expect from a bachelor musician with eclectic taste: black painted walls and prominently displayed guitars throughout. Forget about the home and breathtaking, uninterrupted views, check out that Porsche Speedster in the last picture. That’s what I’d want. To have that in my garage would pluck the strings of my heart.