Saturday, August 25, 2007

Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah is someone I forget about when she isn’t in a current movie. And I don’t mean I forget that she exists, I mean I forget that I like her. Cause, well… she is named Queen Latifah – one of the more ridiculous celebrity names. Oh, I know, her name is actually Dana Owens (which reminds me, I really should pick up her jazz CD – the Dana Owens Album), but she chooses to go by Queen Latifah which is actually worse that if it was really her name.

I suppose Queen Latifah isn’t that unusual a name for a rapper, which was what she was mostly known for back in the day. That’s a world populated by people who go by ridiculous names, like P. Diddy… and if we go back to rappers that were contemporary to her foray into the public world you’ve got your Vanilla Ices, your Salts, your Peppas… so, I really should cut her some slack on the name, but it is such a weird name to see come across the credits of a movie, or to hear listed among the Oscar nominations.

But that’s just it, she was nominated for an Oscar, and it was a well deserved nomination. Because she can act… and sing, and she is drop dead gorgeous… what I suppose is known as a triple threat (maybe even a quadruple threat if you include her rapping, which I don’t because I never listened to her rap I’m afraid). Every time I see her I leave the theater thinking “Oh, that’s right… Queen Latifah is awesome, why do I keep thinking of her as some weird novelty act?”

So, maybe writing this will help me to remember that I like her. Here’s a clip that should help…