The Prodigal Sun

Random Thoughts...

The Janet Jackson spoofs on MTV shows are giggle-worthy... If you haven't seen them... check them here. If you don't watch the shows, its kinda corny... but if you do watch the shows... its actually kinda funny... lol

Other randomness...

Ruby Dee not winning the oscar... boo. I would write this long diatribe about earning it from all the years of work, and such... but... I didn't actually see the movie with her and Denzel. (Yes, I know its blasphemy for a young black man not to be into gangster movies, especially featuring a black man as the leader... but... oh well...) I wanted her to win badly. Other than that... I really do love that little girl who sang for that choir... Jah-something somebody... I remember her from Apollo... she is so talented.

Did ya'll watch "Raisin in the Sun"... I really dug it... everyone did such a good job. I love Phylicia Rashad (She reminds me of my mom...) I have seen "Raisin in the Sun" a few times and read it... and as long as the acting is even just decent, you can't go wrong. But... as good as the movie was... Don't you think it would have been PHENOMENAL with someone else playing Puffy's role? Like... yeah, for Puffy, he did waaaay more than I expected, but he is no Don Cheadle, who I could see acting the hell outta that role, especially with such a strong cast... Anyway, it was still good in my opinion. What did you guys think?

Ummm... did ya'll see Ne-yo's mugshot for speeding and reckless driving... ok... I said he looked like a gremlin and no one agreed. Now look at him... he is the brown twin of the grinch who stole christmas. Have we never seen Neyo without a hat? I coulda sworn I saw him with just a haircut in a video or something... either he is balding rapidly, or he has been rockin' a low fade weave... lol

In other news... I really dig Nicole Schwhatsherface from Pussycat Dolls... she went off and tried to make a solo career, and I kinda dug the leaked singles I heard, but apparently nobody else did... none of them moved. So... guess this album cover won't see the light of day as it was not only pushed back over and over, it was just shelved.  And now she has come crawling back to PCD with her tail between her legs? I guess a 6th of a check is better than NO check at all... lol

So You Think You Can Dance...

While I believe I can dance, I would not consider myself a 'dancer' after watching 'So You Think You Can Dance' this season. Have any of you been watching? I started watching it mid-season and I have been hooked ever since. Now they are down to the last 6 and we find out which two are going home Monday night, and which four are going on to the finale.

I have to say that my two favorites are Sabra and Danny.

Sabra is FLAWLESS! I have yet to see the judges say one negative thing about any routine she has done on the show. She has done every genre, and executed each perfectly. Her technique, her passion, and personality... I just LOVE her and her afro.

Danny, Danny, Danny... this dude dances like an Ailey dancer. He is absolutely beautiful to watch. His leaps are sky high, his lines are phenomenal, and he spins like a top. He is so fluid in his movements, its like liquid art in motion. As a dancer, he is the best on the show, and my personal favorite, hands down.

I really think that Sabra has an excellent chance to take it. Not only is she a fantastic dancer, but she is infectious and these shows are sometimes more about personality and winning over an audience than pure talent. This is evident in the fact that Danny ended up in the bottom over and over despite his spectacular performances because he was a little stiff personality-wise. But, now that he has started to let his emotions and silly sides show more, its anyone's game.

Needless to say, I will be tuned in to see who gets booted, then again to see the finale.

Who are you guys rooting for?

Shemar's Nudie Shots, and the 'gay' beach

Ok... by now, the naked photos of Shemar Moore kickin it at the nudie beach have circled the globe 115 kazillion times. If you haven't seen them, and want to see the uncensored versions... they are located on Perez Hilton's site, here (NSFW). (I know its kinda obvious that its NOT SAFE FOR WORK considering its a picture of a man with his dick swingin... but I feel obligated to add the NSFW tag...lol)

Anyway... I have two things to say about this. First, WHYYYYY do celebs do the nude beach thing? What is that about? Are tan lines really that serious? Hell, I think tan lines are sexy, its like invisible underclothes reminding you that you are seeing something naughty... lol Are celebs exhibitionists? And if so... why not pose for Playboy/Girl and get PAID for it?! If you are a celebrity, you HAVE to know that eyes are ALWAYS watching you. Why would you even risk it to sunbathe nude? After ALL the public nude photos and sex tapes everywhere... why hasn't Hollywood learned its lesson?

If there were an instructional manual to fame... this would DEFINITELY be in the rulebook: Any and all public nude appearances will end up on the internet (and the National Enquirer).

And secondly... how do we know its a 'gay' beach? I mean... its a freakin' beach. The water doesn't look gay to me. Is the sand pink or something? I mean, come on... I dont see any dudes holding hands or kissing in the background. Seriously... if it really were a 'gay' beach, it would be really easy to illustrate that. Just do a panoramic shot of him on the beach with the background. If it were a gay beach, you would see mostly DUDES in the background. That whole 'gay' beach thing is so suspect to me. I dont buy it. Its a silly attempt at a more sensational headline as if naked photos of Shemar Moore weren't sensational enough.

Shemar Moore may even be gay... but if he were, I seriously doubt that he would choose to make his first nude public appearance at a gay nude beach. He may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, or even that great an actor for that matter... but I seriously doubt he is that dumb.

It will be interesting to see how Shemar responds. I think this will help him. When was the last time you saw him in the news? He has always been seen as a sex symbol. This can't possibly hurt him. Brad Pitts nudie shots didnt hurt him one iota. Shemar was in the Morris Chestnut group of black sex symbols... and Morris is traveling doing chit'lin circuit Tyler Perry plays now... maybe this is Shemar's attempt at avoiding a similar fate (well... minus the gay beach part... lol)

House of Payne

It was a slow week, so I was catching up on my Tivo, and On Demand TV watching.

Over the course of two days, I tuned into TBS on demand and watchted the first 8 episodes of the House of Payne, Tyler Perry's new sitcom. I do dig Tyler's plays and his movies were cool. I think Madea is a funny character who reminds me a little of my own grandmother except that my grandmother is beautiful, not nearly as angry, nowhere near as crazy or rude, and actually is naturally a woman. But my gramz is bold and says whatever she wants when something needs to be said, sometimes without regard for your feelings, and its usually funny when its not being said to you. But I digress... I thought that House of Payne would be a bit campy but at least entertaining.

To say that I was sadly disappointed would be an understatement. That shyt was GAAAAAARBAGE!! How the hell did that sitcom see the light of day? How do you sit through a 24 minute sitcom without laughing at least once? It was a train wreck...

But, because I really want to see my black people succeed, and to see and support working black actors, I continued watching. I watched the first 8 episodes because I hoped it would get better. By the 4th episode, I realized it wasn't, but felt compelled to keep watching because I now wanted to see how bad it could get. Dude, it was bad, very, very, very bad.

Tyler Perry writes everything like a stage play. Theater acting and antics dont translate to TV. Every character says Madea-like lines. Allen Payne's 80's haircut was super disturbing. The uncle's bucked teeth and fake grey hair was annoying. The premises of the shows were stupid, and overly campy.

And the acting was bad for the most part. I never appreciated Halle's skillful performance as a crack head in Jungle Fever until I watched Allen Payne's TV wife play the whackest crackhead I have ever seen. (Yes... there is a crackhead on the sitcom... its so not funny.)

Well... the good thing is... Tyler Perry is paaaaaid. This sitcom could flop and wouldnt make him no nevermind. With the phenomenal success of his plays and movies, he is sitting on easy street. I think he should stick to those genres though, cause this House of Payne does live up to its name... it was painful as hell to watch.

BET Award Show... unanswered questions...

It was cool to see J-Hud and J-Hol together on stage, but by the end... weren't you tired of the runs? I was worn out.

Was it me... or did Monique look like a big woman, doing an impersonation of a big man, doing a female impersonation of Beyonce during that Beyonce Tribute? I love Monique, and she usually looks beautiful to me... but this show, she was very drag-a-licious.

Were you as tired of the big girl dancing to Beyonce bit as I was while I watched it? I mean, it was hot the first time, but it's been done. I felt like I was watching a VHS tape of last year...

Did Chaka Khan forget the words during her performance? Ummm... didnt she just recently say that she stopped doing drugs and stuff? I am not convinced.

Was that the best Diana Ross tribute they could come up with? It probably looked good on paper...but it didnt translate. Erykah Badu, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder... yeah, thats what I think when I think Diana Ross...

Doesn't Diana Ross's Daughter Chutney (sp?) look like a rat?

Did you ever realize how similar Erykah Badu's voice was to Diana's until this performance? I thought her tribute was the best part. Stevie was great, but it seemed so random. Why not have all the girl groups that are big do a tribute? Why not have Beyonce do it? I mean... she is reliving the Diana Ross story in real life, right?

Public Enemy for a James Brown tribute? Why not have bits and pieces of ALL the musical genres that James Brown influenced. Pop artists, R&B artists and Hip Hop artists... that tribute was blah.

Was Michelle really relegated to being a back up dancer for Beyonce now? Is that the best gig she can get nowadays? Dayum.

Why was Solange even on the stage?

Did anyone else think that Kelly's performance was whack as hell? And didn't it seem even worse after Beyonce went first with a big hot dance track like 'Get Me Bodied'? I still love Kelly and think she is beautiful... but, she gotta do better. I almost wish she lipsynced.

Don Cheadle's speech was 800 hours long. It was even long when I fast forwarded through it on tivo. No question... just felt like saying that.

And my final question...

How the hell do you win a best new artist award when you dont even have an album out? J Hud doesn't even know the answer to that one... lol

YouTube Record Deals

Its amazing to think of how technology changes everything. With YouTube anything crazy that you do that is caught on tape will be viewed over and over... and email forwarded around the globe 25 times in the blink of an eye. I can only imagine what crazy antics of my past will resurface on youtube after I blow up. I just hope I have all of my clothes on... lol

But did you ever think you could get a record deal through YouTube? There is this girl from Holland who was doing covers of popular songs, taping herself with a webcam, posting it to youtube and created a following. Even I had been forwarded her youtube clips a few months back. And now months later... she is a signed artist with Justin Timberlake's new label and has already worked with Kelly Rowland. Isn't that crazy?

Her name is Esmee Denters, here is my favorite clip of hers, you can check her and judge for yourself. I dig the quality of her voice. And she has great control. If she can expand her higher range, she can really do well for herself. I wish her luck.

Here is another clip with a guest background vocalist and pianist...

And with the success of YouTube, there are imitators like Daily Motion, and the x-rated sites like xtube. I just saw a daily motion clip today that I love. I saw the Color Purple a while back when I took my ex for a birthday gift. I had absolutely no intention of going back to see it. It was a fantastic show, but brings back bad memories... boo. I heard Fantasia was in it now. And after seeing her do her own Fantasia Barrino Story... I was DOUBLY not pressed to see it again. She was as Whack as a Jherri curl in 2007 in that.

But then I saw her sing, "I'm Here", live at the Tony Awards in this Daily Motion Clip, and I HAVE to go back and see it while she is in it. Some people may not dig her sometimes 'screaming' style of singing... but for some songs, it just works. And this is one of those situations. She gave me chills singing this because she is clearly feeling this song as she sings it, and she makes me feel it. I can so see her relating to the character of Celie, and being able to bring life to that character in a different way than LaChanze would have. And with such an integral character, its almost a whole new play. I would have never thought to go see it again if I had not seen this clip. I would buy this on an album... love this performance, and without sites like YouTube or Daily Motion, I would never have seen it.

Fantasia - I'm Here (2007 Tony Awards)
Uploaded by Vidfan46

I love the age we live in. I can't wait to see how things will change in the next ten years. In the meantime, I am working on my Youtube karaoke clips... lol

Imus and hip hop?

Yo... is it me? Or is blaming hip hop for Don Imus's comments mad ridiculous? I mean, for real, how much hip hop does Don Imus listen to, really? The whole Oprah lynch mob town meeting the other day was so extra to me.

First of all, disrespect for women is blatant in our society as a WHOLE, not just in HIP HOP. Look at any youth based music genre. They all have scantilly clad video girls, not just hip hop. Even the artists themselves are in the videos in bikini's and short skirts. Look at entertainment as a whole, sex is used to sell EVERYTHING! Its just in hip hop, rappers verbalize it. Ummm... aren't rappers poets? They describe what they see, and what they experience. Do you think that disrespect of Black women originated with Hip Hop? When have Black women EVER been held in high esteem by society? They have been a double minority since the first slave ship landed here. It was even ok to rape them (in fact, it COULDNT be considered a crime because they weren't even considered a whole human!)

Then you also have to consider the environments that many of these rappers are a product of. In their communities, how are the women treated? How are they taught to treat women as they are growing up? You can't expect a child to grow up in a community where disrespect of women is commonplace to grow up and know better. Some children are the exception, and they know its wrong and dont continue the cycle, but they are just that... exceptions.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that I like hearing rappers say Bytches and Ho's over and over. What I am saying is, the issues are much much deeper. I refuse to put the blame for society's treatment of black women as a whole on the shoulders of Black men in hip hop. The problem existed LONG before hip hop existed. Hip hop started in the 70's. Black women have been negatively viewed and disrespected for CENTURIES.

I REFUSE to villify rap as the sole cause of this disrespect. Hip Hop is a mirror that reflects what is going on in society. They tell their stories honestly and openly, and it may not always come out pretty. We should NEVER try to censor them.

This discussions should be about how SOCIETY treats women, and the double standards they face as a whole. The discussion should be about how we can change the environments from which rappers originate, not just to change the way little boys are taught to view women, but to change how little girls in these environments are taught to view themselves to prevent them from growing up to become 'Superhead's of the future. The discussion should be about ALL the offenses against women. Attacking hip hop will NOT stop disrespect of Black women.

Hip hop should not be singled out as the sole cause... cause that is just ludicrous.

Oscar Randomness

Yaaaaaaaaaaaye Jennifer Hudson!!! Her oscar speech was cool except for the toss off 'And Jennifer Holiday' afterthought thing... I mean, I am glad she recognized her, but it was clear that she forgot about her. Not a good look... but neither was her outfit. There is already a warrant out for her immediate arrest by the fashion police for her previous fashion disasters. This outfit put her on the most wanted list. Andre Leon Tally needs his azz beat for putting her in that mess... She woulda looked better in a bedazzled number by the House of Dereon ... lol

I had hoped that she would sing 'and I am telling you', but they didnt. Booooo! Why is she not singing this song live? Instead, they did a medley of Love You I do, Listen and Patience. Does Jennifer Hudson give you a little Aretha Franklin in her oversinging...? I still enjoyed the performance. I think Jennifer did well aside from occassional oversinging... Bey did good too, in her own way, (bless her heart... lol) As much as I believe she is talented, she needs not sing alongside anyone with Aretha like power. She gets drowned out a little. But I think she still did great. Jennifer has more power, but I do think Bey has better control. I look forward to seeing how experience performing will shape Jennifer...

And was it me, or did it seem like all of Anika Noni Rose's screaming at the end of patience was to say... HEY! LOOK AT ME! I CAN SING TOO!! WHAT ABOUT MEEEEEE?!? lol I love her in the movie... she is very talented, but she was wearing me out a little... in that Mary J Blige at the grammy's kinda way... lol

WHAT ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?!?

Speaking of a combination of great and whackness... Jennifer Holiday sang 'And I Am Telling You' outside the oscars... on some terrace across the street or something on E!... She sounded great. And she looked great too (aside from looking a little post stroke-ish, her hair and make-up were great). But, you have to admit... this was kinda bootleg. I mean, you were on someone's rooftop across the street. There were spectators closer to the oscars than she was. Thats not even B, C, or D list... that is like V-list when the closest you can get is across the street on a rooftop... And what made it worse was when they panned down to the red carpet and they were just-a-carryin'-on like business as usual, like Jennifer Holiday wailing on a rooftop across the street was regular street noise. Peeps werent even stopping to watch... lol Here is the performance... see for yourself. (And did anyone else peep that she is singing it in a lower key than normal... maybe its just my ears... but people who sing or know music know what I am talking about.)

OTHER RANDOM OSCAR QUESTIONS>>>

Isnt it interesting how UN-Miranda-Priestly Meryl Streep is in real life with that HUGE ugly klunky necklace that she probably got at a 'big hideous necklace convention'... lol

 
(Meryl Streep as the 'smart, fat, size 6 girl', Nicole Kidman as the 'Clacker'...lol)

Was it me or was the clip they showed of Eddie Murphy really the best 10 seconds of his acting in the film? I mean... dayum. That clip was whack. Of course he aint win... Did you see the look on Eddie's face after they showed the clip? It was even on HIS face, like... is that the best you can do?

Does everyone in Hollywood call Martin Scorscese, Marty? And don't 'Marty's' fluffy black eyebrows, white hair and tuxedo make him look a little like the Muppet, Statler (one of the old hecklers in the balcony)?

 

How the hell did Forest Whitaker get as far as he did with his wandering eye? Ummm... for real, I hate watching him in movies... I hate the way he speaks... I hate his wandering eye... I hate his black lips... I hate his black gums...  (oh wait, thats from Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ... lol) I say all this to say... ilk. I dont want to hate on a brother winning lead actor... but... fukk it. I wanted Will to win. Get your dayum eye fixed or wear tinted shades like Musiq Soulchild. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(He should change his name to Forest Wandering-eye...)

Overall... the oscars were boring. I love Ellen. But I guess acting award shows arent going to be like music with explosions and people coming down from the ceiling... If there arent any black actors (with non-wandering eyes) nominated next year, I probably wont watch.

Mary at the Grammy's

Yo... Mary can't possibly EVER watch her performances. There is no possible way that she could hear how she sounds and continue to do the things she does during her performances...

What was that holding off-key notes thing she kept doing? The note was dissonant, off-key, and horrible in and of itself... but must you HOLD IT for 30 seconds?

Then they were comparing her to an famous opera singer... huh? How does Mary's off-key hootin and hollerin remotely compare to a classically trained opera singer? I dont care if she had the Philadelphia Philharmonic backing her up... That's about as Ludicrous as Ludacris tryin to come for Oprah in his thank you speech. (Nigga please.)

And WHY were people standing up applauding Mary J's performance? WHAT WERE THEY LISTENING TO?!? That was simply awful...

This is why people, who cant sing to save their lives, go on national tv making a mess auditioning for American Idol. They have people like the grammy audience who give them standing ovations for their horrible horrible performances their whole lives, so they dont know any better. And this is why Mary doesnt know any better either. Every time she gets on a stage and screams some random off key note... the audience is like... yes... yeeeeeeees SING MARY. ilk.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I am glad she won. I loved her album, it was great... but her performances are ridiculous. I had high hopes when her long 'hey' notes from 'cant be without you' were mostly on key on Oprah. But... turns out Mary is like a broken clock... even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Part of me wants to go to a Mary concert and BOO her every time she sings a foul note... but that would be futile because I would be hoarse before the concert was over from booing the whole time.... besides I am pretty sure I would get lynched before I could safely make it to an exit by some crazed Mary J Zealot. The only hate mail I have ever received was from one of my coworkers when I wrote an article about the oxymoronic nature of Mary's 'I'm just Mary' song for our department newsletter... I mean, if you really are humble you wouldnt need to write a song about it. I also said that Mary couldnt sing, but that if she could make it, we ALL can if we set our minds to it, kinda like a message of hope... but this girl cursed me out like I called her momma a ho' and stopped speaking to me. (True story...) So I may be risking it to post this... but... FUKK YA'LL BLIND AND APPARENTLY DEAF FOLLOWERS! lol

The singing was BAD. Period.

I dont think Kendu really loves Mary. Cause he woulda told her not to hold them notes.

I love New York

Despite detesting the 'Flavor of Love' because of the negroidian antics on that show... I find it odd that I am not that upset about the spin-off 'I love New York' featuring one of Flavor Flav's cast aways, New York/Tiffany somebody ( I wasn't really paying attention when she said her full name, and... do we really even care?) I dont know if the difference is that there are only a couple of black folk on the show... or that Flavor Flav was just the extreme coon... but this show isn't as upsetting to me, and I even watched it.

The show had its comedic points... but what stood out to me during that entire show was New York's mother's FOREHEAD!!! I mean, gott dayum... is it me? Or is that heffa half Klingon? I mean, my grandpappy's receding hairline started closer to the front than hers. Does she really not realize that she needs at least a bang, or SOMETHING?!? And bangs are in right now... why doesn't she take advantage of the trend and cover that dome-head up? That is just crazy to me. Every time she came on screen, I just stared at her forehead. It's distracting.

They say, if you want to know what your woman will look like in 20 years, look at her mother. If that is true... New York should invest in Rogaine now... cause that forehead is not a good look. (ummm... not to say she is doing so hot right now anyway... New York looks like janice from the muppets... lol)