Lions for Lambs

As if we needed further proof that quantity doesn't always mean quality, Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" set a few personal and studio box office records by grossing $41.1 million over the weekend! First, let me congratulate Tyler Perry, then Lionsgate Films, and finally you for proving that we want mindless entertainment. The source doesn't matter, Reality TV, Souljah Boy Tell'Em or Tyler Perry, we don't want to think, we want to laugh.

You're looking at your monitor strangely now huh? Oh, we don't? I'm not sure about you, but when I spend my $50 to go to the movies, I like to not only be entertained, but enlightened, have some sort of intellectual stimulation. Yes, even through comedy, I do not like to have my intelligence insulted.

Before you stop reading... Tyler Perry has trotted out the same storyline time after time through stage and screen (and thanks to TBS, he's doing it every week on television) and you buy it! Time after time, you spend good money to see the same thing, again and again and again. Why? Oh yeah, it's positive. There's no cussing, no shoot 'em up bang bang, die nigga die, no explicit sex or pervasive drug use. Its good wholesome, family fun right?

How positive is it when your lead character is a caricature of our grandmothers, mothers and aunts? Is it positive when poor grammar is not only acceptable, but hilarious (i.e. Mr. Brown and Madea)? How positive is it when the films lack PMI (Positive Male Imagery)? When those repetitive storylines show that we cannot maintain healthy, effective relationships, is that also positive? How positive is it when your consumption of poorly scripted, poorly acted films makes it nearly impossible for Black filmmakers and actors?

Can't you decipher the entire film before the credits are finished rolling? You know someone's gonna be done wrong, someone's gonna be on drugs, someone's man is going to be Ike Turner reincarnate. Those someone's are gonna go to church or have a spiritual awakening and their fortunes will be changed by the time they caught the Holy Ghost!

Maybe I take things too seriously, maybe I read too deeply into everything, because you left the theatre with quite a few laughs. However, Lionsgate and Tyler Perry took in the lion's share of the profits and I'm left thinking the lions led the lambs to the slaughter...again!

Read More

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

I suppose with the election of Barack Obama folks actually believed that America had progressed past its racist legacy, but we got our answer the other day, a resounding Hell No! The New York Post used poor judgment in an attempt at a political humor the other day and people are up in arms screaming bloody murder.

Of course Al Sharpton was on the scene, ready to boycott and march. Brother Sharpton, where have you been, four or five brothers have been killed by the police in the last few months and I haven't heard a peep from you. I was starting to think that maybe you had a job or something. Here's my issue with the whole boycott idea, you can boycott the New York Post, Fox News and other entities of Rupert Murdoch's evil empire, but it really won't matter. The Post and Fox News have dedicated audiences that don't include you & I.

However, Channel 5 Fox is where we can make a difference. If we decide not to tune into "24", "American Idol", "The Simpsons", "The Family Guy' and (gulp) "House", he will feel a direct effect. But, we're not going to do that, we're going to make a lot of noise and do notadamnthing (yes that's one word).

Switching gears, the 81st Annual Academy Awards will be held Sunday evening. While most of America will tune in for the pageantry of the gowns or to see if Brad Pitt win's his first Oscar, we'll be watching to see if Taraji P. Henson or Viola Davis can actually bring home an award.

Taraji is the sentimental favorite of Black America becomes she represents the films that exist outside of the eye of the Academy, Baby Boy, Hustle & Flow, etc... It's rare that a Black actress performs in a role that properly displays her talent and depth as an actress, hell, she was in a Tyler Perry film last year!

Speaking of which, "Madea Goes to Jail" hits theaters today and I'm sure niggas everywhere will flock to see the latest installment of the new millennium minstrel show! I guess me waiting for that to change is like waiting for Bill O'Reilly to appear on 106th & Park!

Read More

Shimmy Shimmy Ya

All we needed last night was the spirit of Ol' Dirty Bastard to invade the stage and proclaim that "Wu-Tang was for the babies"! For some odd reason, I was actually pretty interested in the Grammy Awards last night, I guess because it was Sunday night and nothing else was on.

However, that interest quickly became disgust as the show progress. First, there was Sir Bono and U2, flip to "House". Then, Whitney Houston made her biannual appearance and I spent the next three minutes trying to figure out if she was high. Jennifer Hudson won a sympathy award and then performed some song we've never heard. I understand everything she went through, but best R&B Album? Did you see who she was nominated against? Better question, did you hear any of those albums?

The show hit an all-time low when Al Green performed "Let's Stay Together" with Justin Timberlake...and Boyz II Men singing backup! Ok, Al Green is in his 60's and the 70's were a long time ago, but he's a legend. However, to have Nate, Shawn and Wanya backing up the light-voiced Timberlake is disrespectful to Black music, a trend that would continue through the evening.

Jay-Z lost some more cool by performing with Coldplay. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, they paired The Jonas Brothers with Stevie Wonder! How do you have these little half of fags performing "Superstition" with Stevie? Stevie up there with these fruits parading around the stage, braids starting in the middle of his head, just sad how we are treating our national treasures.

My moment of clarity came when Kanye West hit the stage with Estelle looking part Michael Jackson circa "Off the Wall", part Phillip Michael Thomas, part Rene from "Rene & Angela'! What is up with his hair and his jacket? He's really making me appreciate 50 Cent more and more everyday!

The "Swagger Like Us" performance was overblown, I missed Lil' Wayne, but he didn't seem as high as normal, but T-Pain did say "mans" during his presentation. Another victory for southern education! In my opinion, the best part of the show was The Four Tops tribute, even though Jamie Foxx was in party mode as usual, but I think they pulled it off.

All of that and none of it was bigger than the BIG story of the night...did Chris Brown have to choke a @#$%&! Word got out before the show that the LAPD was searching for Chris Brown in relation to an investigation of a domestic violence charge. It seems Chris had to lay the pimp hand down on Rihanna. I know it's not funny, but it's funny! There is no doubt in my mind that Rihanna can be very annoying! Hope it works out, but I guess he missed Chris Rock's skit, shake not slap Mr. Brown.

I said it last year and my point was reinforced last night, Black music has lost its soul! Check out the performances from last night, turn on the radio, listen to your Ipod, we have sacrificed our "Soul" for the mainstream, where's Don Cornelius when you need him?

Read More

Girl, I'm Realer Than A $3 Bill!

A while back I floated around the idea of a $25 bill featuring the likeness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, with the Obama presidency, I was wondering if it was more likely that he found his way to U.S. currency? Nixon halted use of bills over $100 denomination, maybe one day a President will reverse the executive order and Obama will replace McKinley on the $500 bill or maybe a grassroots movement can get started to get Dr. King on the $25 bill.

What do you think?

Read More

Black Like Me

First, let me take a second to thank those of you who were seemingly excited to receive my e-mail yesterday. Next, let me make it known that I did waste an hour of my time watching "For the Love of Ray-J". Finally, for those of you who are new to the list, please read the following disclaimer: I am irreverent, politically incorrect and generally do not give @#$% what anyone thinks about what I say!

With that said, there were quite a few responses that zeroed in on my statement calling Barack Obama, pseudo African-American. It's not like this is the first time I've said something of the sort, but I guess with the whole "my President is Black" movement, some people seem to think that I'm out of line.

I planned on getting into this later this week, but here goes: Barack Obama's father was a Kenyan national and his mom white from Kansas. So, he's an African-American in the truest sense of the word. Much in the way that if P.W. Botha and Caroline Kennedy clan had a child, that child will be African-American as well. Now, you & me, your mama and your cousin too, your preacher and that dude down the street that fixes your car are descendents of African born, American made slaves.

So, Barack's existence and experience has been totally divergent from yours and mine. We know the story, he barely knew his dad, grew up with the family in Hawaii, went Ivy League, stopped calling himself Barry, moved to South Side Chicago, and met a brilliant Black woman named Michelle Robinson. His pedigree and hue is agreeable with White America. Not to devalue or degrade his accomplishments, but a nigga from Harlem, as Black as Wesley Snipes will never be president!

Plus, the sacrificing of Jeremiah Wright still doesn't sit well with me!

Read More

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Wow! What a game! Great game! That's what everyone is gonna say, but the truth is, like the commercials, most of the game was lame. What should be said is, what a great last nine minutes. That is what made it a great game. So, the Steelers won and all we're gonna hear about for the next couple of days is the game, can they repeat, is Kurt Warner gonna retire and get into the Hall of Fame, then Santonio Holmes will get his Disney commercial. Then, the talk is gonna die down because the Lakers and Celtics play Thursday night, and the Lakers and Cavaliers play Sunday afternoon. That's just the way the sports world works.

However, the rest of the world should be making the transition to Black History Month. Especially in a year when the first pseudo African-American (more on this another day) has taken the highest office in the land. You figure there would be some huge campaign with a great slogan, BET would be running new, fresh documentaries, hell,at least McDonald's could trot out those old cups with the Kente patterns again! I love my cup!

However, if the reaction of the people on November 4th and January 20th didn't prove anything, is that we live in the moment. On the whole, we are not truly a nostalgic people, we like to create our own history. So, tonight at 10:30 on VH1, "For the Love of Ray-J"! That's right, historic number of clear heels, hair weaves and the "B-word" will be in abundance for your viewing pleasure for the next 8 or 9 Mondays.

Flavor Flav wasn't enough, New York, Real, Chance couldn't stop us, Ray-J had to keep coonin' alive for us! Are we seriously to believe that Ray-J, a semi-successful young man has to resort to finding love on a Reality TV show? But here's the rub, a few hundred thousand people purchased his homemade porn with Kim Kardashian, so why wouldn't a few million people tune in to see his quest for "love"?

So, tune in to VH1 tonight at 10:30, tomorrow 2pm, 9pm, Wednesday at 6, Thursday at 11, Sunday at noon and probably a dozen other times in between to get your chance to see Ray-J open his heart, VH1's house and hopefully not his mouth! Because, for every little step we've taken in the last few months, we're bound to take two or three back beginning tonight!

Read More