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Top 5 Gutsy Broads

WARNING: If you take offense to the word broads, then this ain’t the post for you. Just surf on outta here.

I’ve compiled a list of my Top 5 Gutsy Broads. These are the women in film and/or television whom I consider to have spunk and they seem to always play strong minded, courageous women on screen.

1. Susan Sarandon – Love her to death! If a woman were to have balls, then Susan has them! Weak woman is not in her vocabulary. My favorite character of hers is the protective attorney, Regina “Reggie” Love, from the movie, The Client. And not only is she an actress, but she’s a political activist as well.

2. Angela Bassett – Rarely has she acted in a film that wasn’t a box office success. Her most famous role was that of the legendary singer, Tina Tuner, in What’s Love Got To Do With It. But it was her role of Reva Devereaux in Boyz N The Hood, that made me take notice. It took a lot for her character as a single mother to allow her son to live with his father to show him how to be a man. And although single mothers are raising sons on a daily basis without a father around, that scene stood out to me because Reva knew that she could raise her son alone, but realized that she doesn’t have to.

3. Sigourney Weaver – One word………Ripley. Was this a kick ass character or what? She was the blueprint for the Angelina Jolies of today. Never would there been a Laura Croft if it weren’t for Sigourney’s portrayal of Ripley in the Alien films. Sigourney is a graduate of Stanford and studied law and drama at Yale. So for as tough as she may be, she’s smart as well.

4. Alfre Woodard – Remember when she played Dr. Roxanne Turner on St. Elsewhere? That was my first time seeing a sista as a doctor who was a regular on a prime time television show. Seems like a lifetime ago. My favorite character that Alfre played was Carolyn Carmichael in the film, Crooklyn. Throughout the ups and downs, she strived to keep her family sane and together. And even as her character lay dying in a hospital bed from cancer, she held on long enough to give her daughter some words of wisdom before her passing.

5. Mariska Hargitay – As Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law and Order: SVU, she’s the epitome of gutsy. She plays the lead female detective of the Special Victims Unit that investigates major sex crimes. Sometimes she becomes a bit attached to the case and/or welfare of the victims, especially if the victim is a child, but it’s her caring spirit that draws you to her. There’s no way that you can work in that field and not have some compassion towards the victims. It’s that vulnerability that makes Mariska stand out on screen.

Spongebob Squarepant(ies)

A friend of mine asked me to come to his church’s revival this week. Since he plays guitar for the church choir, I decided to attend the service. The choir was on point and the sermon was very uplifting, but somehow I have a knack for finding something funny, no matter where I go. And this time was no different.

There was a little girl, around the age of 8, who sang a song with the other kids of the church. She was wearing a beautiful white dress. *gasp* Wearing white after Labor Day? I live in the South and it doesn’t start getting cold here until late October. Heck, sometimes it’s even hot up until November, so a lot of times not wearing white after Labor Day doesn’t apply here. The girl wearing white was not the problem.

But what I did find funny is that thanks to my keen CSI detective skills, I came to the conclusion that this young girl probably dressed herself for the revival service. How did I come to this realization? Well, she was wearing a white dress, which was see through, and apparently her mother and/or father didn’t take a close look at her before they left the house, because one could clearly see a bright yellow sponge showing through the dress.

The little girl was wearing Spongebob Squarepants panties. And every time she’d move and/or walk, Spongebob would sashay. So I’m trying to contain myself as I listen to the kids sing a rousing rendition of Fred Hammond’s Let The Praise Begin, and Spongebob is just shimmying to the left and shimmying to the right.

I am rocking back and forth, trying to hold my laughter in and the elderly lady sitting next to me on the pew turns to me and says, “I feel it too baby, the Lawd is in the building!” I guess she thought I was about to get my Holy Ghost shout on because I was rocking from laughing internally. It was at that point that I couldn’t hold it any longer.

I was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my face and my friend who was playing for the choir was trying to “shhh” me, but it wasn’t working. Spongebob was getting his Crank Dat on and I was too through. I had to excuse myself from the sanctuary or else I would spontaneously combust. So parents, please check your child’s clothing before they leave home.