On Wednesday night, two of my guilty pleasures came together… well, three, actually. Suits + Pretty Little Liars + two of my favorite undercover sistahs, Meghan Markle and Troian Bellisario.      I know I’ve mentioned many times how I enjoy being the Biracial Whisperer. PLL‘s Troian Bellisario and Suit‘s Meghan Markle are two of my favorite…

"I never ever show up on a set without my own foundation and powder. Never ever. I've been in this business for twenty years and you only need a couple of bad experiences to learn a lesson..." (reprinted with permission from Robinne Lee) 

All over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, black women, celebrities and non-celebrities alike shared stories of makeup artists, hairstylists, and stores that treated our blackness—our black hair, our black skin—as an inconvenience. Like nearly every other brown woman of color in this country, I have been there before. This May, when I was browsing through Ulta, looking at aisle after aisle of "30 shades of beige and two of brown, but not YOUR brown" and "our colors only come in light, light/medium, and medium. 'MURICA!", the frustration was just too much for me. I tweeted the following, not really expecting anything to come of it [because nothing ever does]: 

Shopping for makeup is just depressing when you're a WOC. @ULTA_Beauty, why don't your stores in diverse areas carry diverse products? — Pop Culture Mom (@popculturemom) May 20, 2015

So imagine my surprise when Ulta actually responded:

@popculturemom hi there, we'd like to hear more about your experience in order to improve. Please email us the details at gethelp@ulta.com.

— ULTA Beauty (@ULTA_Beauty) May 21, 2015

So, I took this open invitation, and I ran with it. Below is the part of the very long e-mail I fired off to Ulta the next day: 

In response to your request to me on Twitter ..., here is the recurring problem I have in Ulta's stores ... :

As is evident by my signature line, I am a woman of color. Now, it's hard enough being a woman of color and trying to find makeup. Most brands, unless they are minority-owned, simply just don't make enough colors for women of color. So I'm not going to fault Ulta for not carrying more colors if the brand itself doesn't carry them. However, if a brand carries a more diverse line of makeup, I would expect that your stores—particularly those in diverse neighborhoods—would. I can't tell you the exact demographics for ... However, just looking at the schools zoned in the areas near this particular Ulta, this neighborhood is about 40% non-white. Looking around, I can tell you that there is a heavy population of black, Hispanic, Indian, Vietnamese, and Filipino. Although there are huge variations of colors within those communities, we tend to have a lot of tan-to-brown people. So I would expect that for brands that actually carry makeup in brownish colors, Ulta in our neighborhood would have them.

No, it doesn't. I have requested several times. I have been in the store when other customers have requested more colors (and have been told, sometimes mistakenly, that the brand doesn't carry them. I've looked online, this isn't true). I've even had people who work in the store complain to me that they can't find colors for themselves either. So, obviously, this is either a management or corporate problem. And, from what I can see on Ulta.com, this is a corporate problem.

Yesterday I was looking for Dermablend. From their color match system, I know that my concealer color is Cocoa. Looking at Ulta.com, "Cedar" and "Cocoa" (the only two brown concealers) are listed as "online only," which means none of your stores will carry this. Similarly, every brown color of Dermablend's Cover Creme except for the very darkest brown, which is a good 8 shades or so darker than the darkest beige you carry (which means you've missed pretty much every tan or brown woman who isn't extremely dark with red undertones—a description which actually matches exactly no one I know), is listed as online only. I looked for the color of Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation that matches my tone per Smashbox's website. That, too, was available online only. You used to carry Iman (a brand for women of color) in stores. Now it's online only. The Smashbox Try It Kit: BB+Halo comes in a "Dark" variety, and Ulta doesn't even bother to carry that one online (but Birchbox does, and so does Amazon.com...).

Basically, everywhere I look in the Ultaverse for colors that might fit me, Ulta has deemed that these colors are "online only" and not fit for store shelves—if it carries them at all. While I love very much to shop online, the one thing I loathe buying online unless I absolutely have to is makeup (foundation and powder, at least). This is for obvious reasons. I mean, how do I know that a foundation or powder is going to actually work for my skin without trying it on? Is it really necessary to have space for 25 shades of beige but only 1 shade of brown (if any)? This is ridiculous and biased. It's also demoralizing. .... I shouldn't feel like a second-class citizen when simply trying to buy powder foundation.

I'm sure your response will be that these colors just don't sell and that's why you can't stock them in store, but how could they if, based on experience, women of color don't actually expect to find colors in your store? Honestly, I didn't even go looking for foundation/powder yesterday ..., since every time has been a disappointment. But I looked anyway, and, as expected, I was disappointed.

You may not realize this, but blacks have the most purchasing power of any single ethnic group in the United States. Combine us with Hispanics, Indians, and certain Eastern and Southeastern Asian groups, and are you really prepared to say that our purchasing power isn't worth a little bit of effort to make some room on your physical shelves to make our shopping experience more pleasant? I really like Ulta's branded products, but I can't continue this game of purchasing in store and then having to go home to complete my makeup purchases online. And I know a lot of other women who feel the same way.

In closing, I would like to add, I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to give me a thoughtfully crafted response rather than a canned "Thanks for your input. We're looking into it." In addition to it being insulting to the intelligence, the fact is, you guys reached out to me after my small 140-character rant on Twitter. I obviously took the time to send you a detailed response of the problem, and I would appreciate some reciprocity.

Regards, [Pop Culture Mom]

Honestly, I really expected that all I might get out of this very long, soul-bearing e-mail was a bit of catharsis. So imagine my surprise when the next day, I received a voicemail from the Ulta corporate office.

Now, my phone number was never on the e-mail. However, I'm an Ulta rewards member (and, despite my difficulty finding makeup in-store, a platinum one at that), and the Ulta Guest Services Manager [shout out to Ron!] was able to get my phone number and purchase history from my account. The message let me know that my e-mail had been received and was being taken very seriously and let me know that I could expect a response after the Memorial Day holiday. I was also given a direct phone number in case I wanted to talk before I had gotten a complete response.

After the holiday, Ron and I touched base to schedule a call to discuss his findings in more detail. Honestly, even though Ulta corporate had reached out to me and was clearly making a concerted effort to keep the lines of communication open, I was not expecting much to come from the call. So when Ron started out by telling me that the various corporate heads he had spoken with to inquire as to why there weren't many products available in store for women of color had responded that they also didn't understand why that was the case in this day and age and saw it as a problem, I was shocked. But then when the blame shifted to the corporations manufacturing the makeup, my shock waned, and I expected another conversation reciting business as usual. But I shouldn't have, because Ron continued to surprise me.

Among other things, Ron explained to me that Ulta's old corporate model could not allow for stores to be diversified, and the result was that every single Ulta store carried what was basically the national average in terms of sales. So the Ulta store in, for example, Sandy, Utah carries exactly the same merchandise as the store in Atlanta, Georgia, even though the demographics of those cities are vastly different [Sandy, Utah is, by the way, 86% non-Hispanic white per Census data; Atlanta, on the other hand, is 36.3% non-Hispanic white and 54% black]. And because this nationwide data is collected based on a country where the vast majority of people are white and where non-white people (particularly those that are either darker than "honey beige" or don't have pink or blue undertones) don't actually expect for most cosmetic stores to service them, you can pretty much guess which way the data skews. [And, unless you're bathing in a sea of privilege, you can also see where the problem lies.] But Ulta is now in a position where it can customize its offerings by region. So in areas like mine where dark people of various ethnicities abound, come early 2016, we should expect to see more of our hues offered not just "online" but also in-store.

Ron also informed me that this "bigger and better" Ulta extends not only to their technology and inventory tracking but also to their ability to court more diverse brands and put some pressure on those brands who haven't caught up with the times to join the rest of us in the ultra-diverse 21st century. That pressure has apparently worked on some brands, and a few are now expanding their offerings to add several new shades. There were more details, more happiness to share about Ulta's coming changes to accommodate its customers of color. But the bottom line is that Ulta isn't just giving lip service; it clearly cares about customer satisfaction—all customers, not just the beige and pink-undertones ones. And as if all of these changes and all of this time spent meaningfully addressing my concerns wasn't enough, Ron also arranged for the Prestige Manager [since my purchase history is primarily of those cosmetics they consider their "Prestige brands"] at my local Ulta store to meet with me one on one and introduce me to some of their newer lines and colors that might work for me better. The P.M. totally hooked me up, and I have found a new foundation to love. Her name is Becca (one of Ulta's newer offerings), and, miracle of miracles, there are several shades of brown with various undertones available.

The sad fact is, beauty woes are just one source of the microagressions that daily confront people of color with white privilege in this country. It may not seem like a privilege to buy makeup, but when you're a person of color denied the simplicity of that experience that others feel, it is evidence what a loss of privilege it is for makeup purchases to become an ordeal. For anyone who would respond, "Well, then don't buy makeup" (ignoring the flippancy and ignorance of such a comment), the simple fact of the matter is that for many women, buying makeup isn't really an option. Yes, it would be great if we lived in a perfect world where sexism didn't make work life easier for women who wear at least natural looking makeup or if women were imbued with so much self-confidence that we didn't feel the need to wear makeup ever. But this isn't reality. Additionally, when we live in a world where models and actresses of color feel compelled to bring their own makeup kits to their jobs—a job necessity that is automatically provided for their paler skinned counterparts—or otherwise risk re-inviting the feelings of despair and embarrassment experienced after someone has half-heartedly attempted to do their hair or makeup without putting in any real effort to account for different skin tones or hair textures. It is absolutely galling that someone would think this is equal, fair, or trivial.

This world is diverse. This country is diverse. On most continents on this planet, you can find people ranging from the palest of pale beiges to the darkest of dark browns. There are many different hair types and shades. It shouldn't be asking too much for professionals be able to do their jobs for every person who might sit in their chairs, and not just the white ones. And it isn't "baiting" to require that stores selling beauty products be able to service the clientele present in the areas where they chose to setup shop.

Note: Ulta did not ask me to write this post, nor is this an advertisement for Ulta. However, I'd be lying if I said that, given their stated commitment to improve diversity, I'm not interested in ringing the bells and sounding the alarms that Ulta is a store women of color need to add to their rotation. I will always be of the firm belief that the same way we should buycott those brands who have absolutely zero interest in tolerance and diversity [I'm looking at you, Almay, Simply Aryan], we should similarly reward those who do.

Earlier this afternoon. Bruce Jenner was in a car accident that proved fatal for at least one person. While causes of the accident are still under investigation, there has been some speculation that the accident occurred when Bruce was trying to get away from paparazzi. If this is the case... Are you fucking kidding me???

I was watching 'Suits' this morning and actually paying close attention for a change. There was a close up of Rachel (played by Meghan Markle) taking the LSATs. I saw her freckles and hair and immediately and excitedly blurted (out loud, sadly), "OMG! She's biracial!" For some reason, I always had assumed she was Hispanic, even though "Zane" (her character's last name) isn't a particularly Latino name. But there wasn't any mistaking the HD closeup. I Googled "Meghan Markle biracial," and BOOM, there it was. Just like my kids, her mom is black, and her father is white of Irish descent. 

• Brandon Borello (? to ?) is the man behind "Tim McGraw." This one was a sweet memoir of a past relationship, because young Taylor had not yet learned the bitter way of the worlds. Also, dear Brandon was only going to college, not dumping her because she was cray cray, so why do more than "something to remember her by"?
• Unamed-"Redneck"-Who-Wouldn't-Let-Her-Drive-His-Pickup-Truck (? to ?) is the inspiration behind "Picture to Burn." Let the bitterness begin!
• Sam Armstrong (? to ?) was the guy to whom she "dedicates" "Should've Said No," and Taylor made it so clear that every time an S, A, or M appears in that order in the CD booklet, it was capitalized to spell out his name. Uh-oh, girl... We're getting a little crazy now.
• Joe Jonas (July 2008 - October 2008) inspired "Last Kiss" and "Forever and Always" (later she made nice with "Holy Ground"... guess she got over him? Well... Until she wrote "Better than Revenge" about his ex-girlfriend, Camila Belle. Damn girl! Put the claws back in.
• Lucas Till (March 2009 - April 2009) managed to escape the song curse. I guess one undramatic month doesn't provide enough song material?
• Taylor Lautner (August 2009 - December 2009) — "Back to December," an apology for dumping him (guess there's a better treatment when the breakup is her idea?)
• John Mayer (December 2009 - February 2010) is the guy for which "Dear John" ("Don't you think I was too young to be messed with." Uh... isn't that your call, too, honey?) was written. There's also some speculation that "I Knew You Were Trouble" (see also Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles) may be about him
• Cory Monteith (suspected April 2010 to May 2010) is thought to be the guy behind "Mine" (even though he was, if the unconfirmed rumors were true, not even hers for very long)
• Jake Gyllenhaal (October 2010 to January 2011) apparently provided an entire album for Taylor in their very brief time together: "The Last Time," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "State of Grace," "All Too Well," "Girl at Home," "The Moment I Knew," and "I Knew You Were Trouble" (in fact, the VMA she received for "Trouble" last night was dedicated to him)
• Conor Kennedy (July 2012 - October 2012) "Begin Again"
• Harry Styles (November/December 2012 - January 2013) - none as of yet, though there has also been speculation that "I Knew You Were Trouble" is about him.

As you have probably heard, yesterday Wentworth Miller told the St. Petersburg International Film Festival [I'm paraphrasing here]: "Thanks but no thanks for your invitation to appear at your festival, but as long as your country is oppressing gay people like me, you can go f*** yourselves." And people, gay and straight alike, lost their damn minds.

This week, I was listening to Lance Bass' "Dirty Pop" on my way home [Sirius/XM OutQ 109]. I don't remember the celebrity or the topic that started the train of thought, but Lance and his co-hosts opined that society has become less forgiving of celebrities when they screw up, and they believed the rise of social media has a lot to do with that. I completely disagree.

Despite the fact that Prince George has arrived and we know his gender and name, Royal Baby mania has apparently not subsided in the United States. Up and down Facebook last week, I saw excitement and jubilation over the fact that it has been reported that the Royal Baby will be breastfed. Even though I am a lactivist who breastfed Little Diva for 22 months and is still breastfeeding Super Girl [she is 22 months], I could care less.

• Across the UK, at three months, the number of mothers breastfeeding exclusively was 17% (up from 13% in 2005) and at four months, it was 12% (up from 7% in 2005). However, exclusive breastfeeding at six months remains at around 1%.
• Rates of ‘any breastfeeding’ showed a rise. At six weeks, the number of women breastfeeding at all was 48% in 2005 and 55% in 2010, while at six months they were 25% in 2005 and 34% in 2010.

So while I think it's great that Prince George won't fall into the 17% of British newborns who is denied breast milk from Day One, I'm not the least bit impressed by Kate doing the norm. If she's still going strong in six months, I will celebrate then. But if she Kardashians Out, don't make me say "I told you so."

Star Magazine released its Top 20 Most Hated Celebrities list. Did your (least) favorite make the cut?

What this list says to me to that Star readers spend a lot of time hating celebrities who are barely relevant anymore. I mean, Shia LeBoeuf? What has he done (lately)? Katherine Heigel?? She's one bad movie away from being invited to 'Dancing with the "Stars"'!

And who's Chris Brown gotta punch or threaten to make number one? I mean, I feel like he's been trying really hard in the last few years to earn a high position on this list.

Notably absent? Donald Trump, Courtney Stodden, Andy Dick, and pretty much anyone who's ever been on a reality show with "Wives" or "Love" in the title, just to name a few.

While some of the celebrities totally make sense [I'm looking at you, Kristen Stewart... Though you should have ranked much higher], some of these are true head scratchers.

On las week's episode of Castle, Beckett and Castle had to find and question a witness named Bram Stoker. Yes, as in "Bram Stoker's Dracula." Once they found Mr. Stoker, this was the exchange:

Becket: Excuse me? Bram Stoker?
Bram: Yeah.
Beckett: Det. Kate Beckett, NYPD
Castle: And might I say how youthful you look.
Bram: [sarcastically] Witty! Never heard that before.
Castle: I've never heard anyone named Bram Stoker before. Except... Bram Stoker.
Bram: Apparently, he's a distant relative, and both my parents were English scholars. They thought it'd be cute. It wasn't. So what's this about?

As someone with... er... an unusual first name (and middle name, for that matter), I totally get this "not cute" sentiment. I'm sure back in 1977, my normal-named parents thought that giving me such an odd name would make me stand out in a crowd. While they were right, that standing out wasn't always a good thing.

Although my name makes perfect phonetic sense, it is almost always mispronounced. In fact, it is so commonly mispronounced that I am always shocked when someone says it correctly the first time. For one thing, people are always adding letters to and/or subtracting letters from my name in order to make it conform to a more common or known name or at least something that makes some sense. Although I always find this a little lazy (especially when people are pronouncing letters that are clearly not present and not even close to the actual letters in my name), I totally get why the human brain does that.

Reading is partly phonetics and partly memorization. There's a reason why preschoolers are taught "sight words." These are the words that you will just know upon sight, without your brain actually parsing out the individual components. However, we also have to learn phonetics, otherwise you would never know how to actually read a word that you have never encountered. So when you see a name that you've never seen before, one part of your brain focuses on phonetics while another (or the same part. I dunno. I'm a lawyer, not a scientist) tries to conjure up memories of a similar name you may have seen and pronounced before. So when you see an unusual name like mine, which has components of real names [since my parents creatively and tragically put their names together to derive mine], whether or not you stand a chance of pronouncing it correctly depends on if memorization or phonetics reigned dominant.

In addition to the pronunciation issue, one thing my parents clearly didn't think of when naming me was the Playground Test—ya know, that test that tells you how easy it would be for hateful, taunting children (which is pretty much all of them at a certain age) to come up with jeers for your child based solely on what rhymes or is easily associated with his or her name. For example, naming your non-German kid Adolf. My name easily lends itself to rhyming-based teasing. In fact, it is so easy to come up with a tease, that on a recent job interview, one of the interviewers asked me if I got teased a lot in elementary and middle school... and then she quickly guessed what three of the common taunts were.

Another issue my parents didn't think of when naming me? The resumé test. As many black professionals born in the 70s and 80s will tell you, many of our parents, completely high and giddy on the fruits of the black power movement did not really think about the fact that some day, two decades in the future, their children would have to compete in a world where we are submitting resumés along with caucasian and others whose parents weren't so creative (or kr8tv) in naming them. So, yes, while it isn't fair, there was definitely a huge period of time (and in some industries is is still the case) where a Laqueeshya, Tenequia, or Dramé would not stand the chance of having his or her resumé viewed alongside a Susan, Debbie, or John. The funny thing is, most of the parents who gave their children these awful names (my own included) have perfectly, generically normal names. These days, things have evened out. White and non-white people alike are just as likely to give their children crazy, unusual names (Pilot Inspektor, anyone?) or otherwise perfectly normal names with kr8tv spellings (How does one pronounce "Asthyleigh," exactly?). But does that make it any better?

Quite honestly, unless you're wealthy and/or famous... or if you simply don't plan on having a white-collar type career, names actually do matter. I know people who love unusual names or kr8v spellings will disagree with me, but as someone who has lived it and knows many others who have, most of us unusually named children didn't find our parents' kr8vitee remotely cute. We have always had to overcome that initial shock when someone sees or hears our name for the first time ["Well... um... that's... um... interesting! Is it a family name?"]. Instead of our first impression being created by the energy or personality we bring into the room, we are instead first judged on a crazy decision our parents made decades before. Sure, many (heck, probably even most) kids—even those with the most normal names—may dislike or hate their names, but there's a big difference between hating your name and being forced to overcome your name.

I'm not saying don't name your kids what you want. That's only something you and your significant other (if any) can decide. I'm saying just give it some thought beyond what you think is "cute" or "fun" at a given moment in time. Because that name you give (on average) less than nine months of contemplation is going to stay with another human being for the rest of his or her life. And if, in the end, you decide your desire for quirky and funny outweighs any angst your child may have over that name in the future, at least give them the option my parents deprived me: a normal middle name or nickname (even if tacked on as an afterthought after another unusual middle name) s/he can use in the alternative!

I don't watch football when I can help it. I can't stand it, honestly. In fact, I didn't even know which teams were playing until I Googled it this morning. Pop Culture Dad, however, is a huge football fan, so I cannot escape the Super Bowl no matter how much I try.

The night before the Super Bowl, Pop Culture Dad and I were grocery shopping with the kids, and I decided to pick up some cupcakes. Most of the cupcakes that were for sale were Super Bowl-themed. Not knowing or caring which cupcakes went with which teams, I picked the purple ones. Why? Because my kids and I love purple. I asked Pop Culture Dad if I should have gotten the red cupcakes instead, and his response was, "Meh. It doesn't matter. I guess I'll root for Baltimore, since I really don't care who wins this one." I actually had to ask him (as if it wasn't obvious from what he said) whether Baltimore was purple.

In trying to determine which team I would faux-root for, I started trying to come up with non-football related criteria. I've seen a couple of pictures where one Harbaugh brother (the younger one) was hotter than the other. So maybe... But those pictures were clearly doctored, because there isn't that much of an appreciable difference between the two. Tie.

Then I thought that stupid player for the 49ers who made the homophobic statement had made it easier for me, especially in light of the counter-point made by a very articulate player for the Ravens. But then San Francisco generally is pretty gay-friendly, and the 49ers were actually the first team to make an It Gets Better video. So, once again, no clear advantage.

I've been to San Francisco but never to anywhere in Maryland. Loved everything about San Fran except the fickle weather. And it's close to Napa. Advantage Dan Francisco.

I hate gold, so both teams lose there. But while I'm neutral about red, I really hate it combined with gold, unless, you know, it's Christmas time... Or a Quidditch game. My favorite color is black and second favorite is purple. Advantage Baltimore.

Bottom line: as long as the Texans aren't playing, I don't really care who wins. Somehow, though, I found myself kind of hoping the Ravens would win. Probably because I know if I attended Hogwarts, I would have been in Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor.

So what about the game itself? Well, I used to watch for commercials. But ad people have run out of creativity [as evidenced by that GoDaddy crap, which was so awful, I won't dignify it with a link], so instead I just stay plugged into social media and try to accentuate the positive.

Here are some of my reactions throughout the game:

Before the game:
- "Why is everyone talking about Ray Lewis like he's the second coming? Didn't he kill somebody?"
- "The dude with the tattoos... Kaepernick. He's adopted, right?"
- "I know we just left a birthday party, but... How long before the game do I have to wait before it is appropriate to break open the cupcakes?"

Pre-Game Entertainment
- "Sandy Hook... Crap. This better not make me cry."
- "Jennifer Hudson, too??? There's another person who'll tell ya all that's wrong with our gun-crazed culture."
- "Shit. I'm crying."
- "Alicia Keys? Pass! I'm not really into people who like to steal pregnant women's husbands. I don't care if he married him later. Guess she'll get hers later. How you getcha man is how you keep yo' man."
- "Wow. Alicia Keys. That kinda sucked. Like. Really. Bor-ring. Can we get JHud and the Sandy Hook kids to come back?"
- made the interesting observation on Twitter, Facebook, and inside my home that the assessment of Alicia Keys' performance was very strictly divided among racial lines. White folks loved it. People of color (all colors), not so much.

During the Game
- "How long until Queen B?"
- "Wow. Commercials suck. Seriously. When is halftime?"
- During halftime, I had an interesting conversation with Pop Culture Preschooler [hereinafter, Little Diva] about Beyoncé. She decided this week that she can out-sing Queen B any day of the week. After watching two minutes of the performance, LD decided her singing superiority was confirmed.
- Best observation on Facebook (credit to one of my favorite writers, Kyra Davis): Bey should have sang the National Anthem live and lip-synced the Super Bowl. We would rather see you dancing than hear that screeching. Whatever point Beyoncé was trying to make by singing live tonight... Um... She probably made the opposite.
- Where Bey DID kill however? That dancing. That body. DAYUMN she looked good... Until...
- Beyoncé should never stand next to Kelly Williams... Like, ever. Kelly is HAWT.
- "Single Ladies"... Bey put her hand down when she said "you shoulda out a ring on it," because Jay-Z did. But is it just me or did that it kinda made Kelly and Michelle look a little sad? Did she really need to go there?
- "Godammit! Beyoncé bootylicioused the lights out!"
- The electricity failure presented a perfect time to give the kids a bath. Couldn't have planned it better if I had forgotten to pay the Superdome's utility bills myself.
- best comment on Facebook about the power failure (by Pop Culture Dad's friend, BMW enthusiast): Just another example of classic Mercedes electrical failure.
- while the Gagnam Style pistachio commercial was as stupid as all pistachio commercials tend to be, I had fun doing the dance with my girls. Side note: I need to do Just Dance 4 tomorrow....
- While rocking Pop Culture Toddler [hereinafter, Super Girl] to sleep, I found myself Googling "2013 Super Bowl score." Then I remembered I didn't care.

Thanks to our girls' sleep schedules, Pop Culture Dad had to watch the game on DVR delay. How did I spend my time while he caught up the last 30 minutes of the game? By writing this, of course.

For those of you who hate football as much as I do, if you're stuck with a football lover in your life, how do you cope with the endless day of football and football commentary that is the Super Bowl?

So apparently R&B artist Keyshia Cole started a s***-storm of controversy recently when she went on BET's 106 & Park and claimed that she wasn't initially sure how she felt about being on "Black Women Rock," because she's biracial. Madame Noire asked, "I think it's fine if she wants to point out that she's bi-racial, but one, where is this coming from, and two, are you not still black by all one drop rule standards? And are you really going to act like the rest of society doesn't still see you as a black woman and you can now no longer understand the need to celebrate black girls doing good things. C'mon now?". While I agree with M.N. in part, I can't go for the one-drop rule assessment.