The Tiny & Toya Show

What can I say about these young ladies? I am pleasantly surprised at how wonderful they seem to be after only three episodes of their new show, I am captivated. Let's start with Ms Tiny. She comes across as sweet and as loving as any mother would want their daughter to be. At first the accent had me a little twisted because I was reared in Los Angeles and although I have lived in the south for many years I had to get ready for that drawl . After I put that aside I wanted to write the judge that gave TI a year and a day behind bars and beg them to let TI go back home to his family. She seems to be dealing with an issue that many of us wish we had the luxury of. She wants to work, but she could lose her rapper fiance' TI if she does that because he doesn't want her to work. Maybe he doesn't care if she works as long as she is not in the spotlight...huh...maybe? My concern is that he might be a little jealous. Well anyway she is a smart young lady and I hope to hell that she finds a way to do what she wants to do while maintaining her relationship with her man. Now Ms Toya, shes a real cutie and it also took a minute to put her accent with her face, but I did it and now I love her. Her story is that she is the ex-wife of rapper Lil Wayne and because she was so young when she fell in love, married and had his baby she is having a hard time moving forward. Duh, well anyone would be a fool to think that this girl should be able to just get over it. I know old azz women who are still pining away over broke no joke men. Toya really impressed me when she asked Dr. Elmore for advice. We as black people don't seek help enough. We just talk to family and friends who give us bad advice without any basis and we pick up what little pieces that we can from our crumbling lives. You Go, Toya! Now the fact that she has a drug addicted mother doesn't help matters. At least if mama was there, she could feel some sense of stability. I really don't know how Tiny and Toya met, but they seem to be a perfect friendship fit. I want to thank them for letting me in on a just a small part of their life. It's no surprise that I'm cheering for those two, but don't get me wrong if you have something to add that doesn't jive with my viewpoint feel free to let me know, because a good debate is healthy.

I really hate that this show is only on for thirty minutes, because as soon as you get into it, the show is over. I must say it again, I am really proud of these two young ladies. Toya is really finding out how strong she really is. Becoming a self-sufficient woman is around the corner for her and she will soon see that this new found self will attract more positive people into her life. I hope that her mother realizes sooner than later, that she can turn her life around as well. It's a sad thing to be a child of a drug addicted mother. Their roles are changed, because Toya is looking after her mother as if she is the mother. Her goals are very admirable and when her and Tiny went to outward bound to walk on those wires, I was proud that they did it. I was glad that Tiny went along and supported Toya and it reminded me of one of my best friends. She would do that with me and so I was a little sentimental watching the two of them support each other. Tiny is probably a little bit more grounded than Toya, but I was glad to see their teamwork. During this episode I got a chance to see Tiny's father perform in his group called the Tams. Even though he has alzheimer's, he seemed to be all present up on stage. I know that it must have warmed Tiny's heart, because it did mines. Her father seemed to be a little confused most of the time even when he listened to the demo that Tiny;s daughter recorded. I'm not sure that Tiny has fully accepted his condition, but my prayers are with her family as the disease progresses. I can't wait to see where the next episode leads us...keep up the good work ladies and shake them haters off.

This episode shows that both Tiny and Toya are ready to make some decisions that will impact them for the rest of there lives. They are on their separate journey's to becoming fulfilled women. Toya was very disappointed that nobody acknowledged her little brother, Rudy on his birthday. Since he lives in New Orleans she decided to take her mother, Anita and her daughter, Reginae to New Orleans with her, so that she could surprise Rudy with a big party celebrating his 17th birthday. When Toya was telling her friends about her plans, she revealed that both her mother and father were supposed to be there and that's a rare thing to have both of them together at the same time. Although Toya wishes that her mother would get off of drugs, she knows deep in her heart that Anita is not ready. The party was a success and Rudy was definitely surprised. Somewhere in the middle of the party, something came over Toya and she confronted her father, no holds barred. She told him that he didn't try hard enough to be there for the six kids that he had with her mother. He got with another woman, had some more kids and forgot all about them, even when their mother went to jail. He told her that he tried, but she wasn't accepting that bull crap. Then she turned to her mother and told her about where she has been falling short and how drugs has kept her away from her family. This was a bold move for Toya, but it was so necessary for her in order to move forward. She has to accept her past, correct what can be corrected and move on to her future. Her final step in doing that, was when she took Reginae to the mausoleum where her uncle and aunt (who she refers to as her grandmother) were buried. She began to share some of her most loving memories of them and I was moved to tears right along with the two of them. Keep up the good work Toya. You'll get to your goals sooner than you ever could imagine. Back in Atlanta, Tiny was working with her former Xscape group member, Kiesha, who is now her business partner. They are getting serious about starting their own record label. They want to put together a couple of girl groups, so they kinda play around with Tiny's daughter, Zonnique and some of her friends in the studio. From the clip shown on this episode, I don't think that they are quite ready, but it looks like Tiny has hope for them. Later on they held auditions for a separate girl group and there were about five or six girls between the ages of 16-19 that showed up. Tiny and Kiesha really didn't let on to rather or not a group was being formed with the girls at the audition, but there were two girls that I'm sure they will want to work with. A girl named Jazmine and a girl named Ashley were very strong contenders according to the conversation between Tiny and Kiesha. They didn't show the girls actually performing, but I have my suspicion that they may be working on something hot. In the back of my head though, I kept thinking about TI and if this is going to be OK with him. I think Tiny has been bitten by the music bug again and hopefully she will have the strength to begin her new journey. Another good show, Thanks BET.

On last week's show Toya gave her brother, Rudy a surprise birthday party and now it's time for her to go back home to Atlanta. Before she leaves New Orleans she stops by her aunt's house and they pray for her when they see that she is having a hard time letting go of her mother. She has to find peace and she realizes that. After she makes it back to Atlanta she goes over to Tiny's house, where Phaedra and Tiny teach her how to swim. This was very symbolic of where she is in her life. She is at a point in life where she has to face her fears head on. With the help of a few good friends, she will meet all of her goals if she stays focus. Later in the show Toya decides to talk to her friend and entertainment attorney, Phaedra about her desire to write a book. Phaedra gets right to work and takes Toya shopping so that she could purchase a few business pieces so that she would look the part when she goes into future business meetings. I was glad that she addressed the tattoo that is on Toya's arm. Even though it's her daughter's name, Phaedra let her know how some people could get the wrong impression about her. From a professional perspective it was a risk for her to confront the issue, but it was very necessary. They were going to New York in order to meet with some key people in the industry. I am impressed with the approach that Phaedra took. She set up meetings with people who could drill Toya so that she would feel a little more prepared for the main meeting with the book agent. She was questioned by Bob Kinner of Vibe Magazine, Jamie Foster Brown of Sister To Sister Magazine and Mitzi Miller, Author and Co-Writer for Essence Magazine. With those powerhouse meetings I'm sure Toya was scared to death, but it was all for her benefit. She finally had her meeting with with Vigliano Associate Book Agency where she met with David Vigliano, Litarary Agent who could be the one to make her dream come true. I can't wait to see what happens next. Not a lot is going on with Tiny in this episode and I think she might be having second thoughts about the nail salon that she wants to open. She has already missed her deadline and it's just not on the forefront of her mind these days. Her focus is on this new venture that she is doing, so her and Toya go to see a Business Advisor by the name of Alana Sanders. She questions both of the girls and then she gives them some very useful advise for starting their new business'. Tiny seems to be on the right track with her ideas and I think that she is more concerned about her girl groups being ready for a showcase that she has planned than opening a salon that she has pouring money into for about a year. We only have two more shows left before season one is a rap. They have already accomplished so much already and I think that we will be cheering for both Tiny and Toya before seasons end.

This weeks episode opens up with Toya and Phaedra riding in a limousine on their way to meet with David Vigliano the Literary Agent that might represent Toya. Phaedra tells Toya that Vigliano Associates Book Agency is the real deal and that they have represented several major celebrities. I'm digging Phaedra because she is really making things happen for Toya. When they get into the meeting Toya seemed to be a little stressed, but she soon loosens up. David tells her that he really wants her book to be a story of inspiration. The meeting ends with smiles, a high five and laughter after David says "Watch out Keyshia Cole, there is a new sheriff in town". Toya is very excited and before going back home she goes to her daughter's favorite store, Flowers By Zoe. She gets her several outfits and maybe a few for herself. Later in the show Toya and Phaedra are sitting at lunch talking about the possibility of Toya dating again and if she was ready for a serious relationship. Toya barely finishes her thoughts on the subject when Phaedra gets a call from David. She lets him know that she is sitting with Toya and puts him on speakerphone when he says he has good news. He tells the both of them that he is ready to get started on her book. That had to be the perfect desert for her lunch meal, that is if she was even able to eat after that news. When Toya gets back to Atlanta she picks up her daughter from school. When Reginae gets in the car she lets her open the bags to see all of the goodies that she bought for her while she was in New York. Reginae was really happy and she confirmed that Flowers By Zoe was her favorite store and wishes she could have been there. Toya gives her a pep talk and stresses the importance of doing good in school and knowing that she could accomplish whatever goals that she sets in her life. Later Toya meets up with Tiny and her friend Keisha. She shows them her business cards and then announces that she has a book contract. They are very happy for her and Keisha said that she was starting a book club and that she would put Toya's book on the list when it comes out. While Toya was in New York Tiny was in Atlanta pulling together her plans for her parents wedding vows renewal ceremony. When they went shopping for a dress for her mother, her dad wanders off a little and it causes Tiny to get out of denial about her fathers Alzheimer's disease. She says denial helps her to not face it. When her and Keisha were in the studio listening to some of the work that their groups were working on, Tiny gets a call from Tip. The mood turns really sentimental because with her parents renewing their vows and her missing Tip she's thinking about their future. It seems like she is ready to get married (if she isn't already). The show ends at Tiny's parents house. Everybody is arriving for the renewal ceremony and it was beautiful seeing them celebrate their love for each other in spite of his declining health. After the ceremony Tiny and Toya find an empty table to sit at and talk. Toya admits that she wants to find the kind of love that Tiny's parents share and this means that she is going to have to start seriously dating. They both share how glad they are to be friends and Toya declares that they have made her feel like family. Tiny's father picks up the mic and sings, which is a perfect end to this episode. After the show has ended Tiny does a PSA for www.alz.org and I think that is a great beginning for her to come out of denial about her fathers condition. Kudos's to Tiny.

The final episode of the season shows that Tiny and Toya are well on their way to making their dreams come true. As Toya and her daughter make pizza, Toya shares her disappointment over Reginae's math grade, she explains that it's just not her best subject. Their conversation soon turns to the issue of Toya dating. Reginae is reluctant at first to give Toya her approval, but after a few light comments she says that she can date now and Toya is happy to hear that response. Although she's glad to have her daughter's approval she is still a little leery when her friends Lydia and Tiny set her up on a blind date. She is pleasantly surprised when she takes a look at who they chose. A young man named James Hardy is sitting at the restaurant waiting for her arrival. After they get past the awkward moments they find that they come from similar backgrounds and have a lot in common. After leaving the restaurant they go bowling. It's cute watching Toya beat his butt and he has to dance as a result of losing. Of all things, he has to do the "Stanky Leg". He was a good sport and made a complete fool out of himself, while stealing Toya's heart. He told her that on the next date they were going to do something that he was good at. She ask if it was basketball because she didn't know how to shoot the ball. He tells her that he really likes her and is willing to teach her anything that she didn'tknow how to do. Toya had to report back to the girls so she put them on a three-way call to tell them about how good her date went. They were both very excited for her and I know I'm cheering for her because he is such a cutie. He plays football for the Buffalo Bills and would be a real catch for her. It's time for Tiny to put her girl groups on front street, so she has arranged a showcase. She wanted people in the industry and the public to come out and see them perform, so she could get some feedback. In order to be ready for the showcase Tiny and Keisha took the girls from Juice to the salon for a little makeover. Some of the girls had objections about getting their hair cut and it was one of the first signs that there might be trouble. Why couldn't they trust that Tiny knew what she was doing? Maybe because they are still young, but it was too bitchie for me. When they were in rehearsal some more drama broke out, but I really couldn't make much sense of it, but Tiny was concerned. She said that it was stuff like that destroyed Xscape. The morning of the showcase Tiny was still a bit worried about if the group Juice was going to be ready. There was so much going on, but everybody was ready to get on stage. Juice went up first and they had pulled it all together and brought the fire. The second group OMG Girlz didn't look nervous a bit. They performed their little tooties off. Toya said that her daughter, Reginae reminded her of Lil Wayne when she was performing and Tiny could see herself in Zonnique as she performed. The night was a success and to put the icing on the cake. Tiny arranged for Toya's brother (Rudy) to come on stage and surprise her. He's moving back to Atlanta and will work on his future, while living with her and Reginae. This was good news for Toya and the closing of the final episode of the season. It has been a pleasure watching the journey of these two women and hopefully they will grace us with a second season. If not I'll be looking out for Tiny's groups (OMG Girlz and Juice) and Toya's new book. Good Luck ladies!!!