Happy Birthday: Marvin Gaye (1939 - 1984)

How many villagers remember the magic of Marvin Gaye? It becomes a duet between Marvin and me whenever Sexual Healing break out on my car radio. I remember the slow grind that I would do as a high-schooler with my girl in those basement parties that we used to have whenever Let's Get It On would play on the turntable.

Marvin Gaye was a unique talent. He was born on April 2, 1939. He died on April 1, 1984. I imagine that all deaths are untimely, however, our nation was robbed of a musical genius in a particularly lousy manner when Marvin was shot by his father.

How many villagers remember when Marvin Gaye sang the National Anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star game back in the day? That remains the best-ever rendition of the national anthem at any sporting event in my view.




I have two Marvin Gaye CDs in my car right now. I'll listen to them throughout the day in tribute to the man and his music.

Here is a nine-minute excerpt from the long out-of-circulation 1973 film, "Save The Children." The background music to this video is What's Going On and What's Happening Brother.

Today, we celebrate the life of an American legend. I encourage all villagers to leave a comment here on your memories of Marvin Gaye.

Malik Yoba Tries to Knock Denzel Washington Off 'Mount Rushmore' of Black Male Actors

If you were creating a Mount Rushmore focused on Black male actors ... it is unlikely that Malik Yoba would be on it. On the other hand, I'm fairly certain that Denzel Washington would have his face carved in stone on that mountain. Don't you agree?

Malik hasn't been doing much work over the years. I'm glad that he has a chance to stretch himself with an upcoming role as Martin Luther King Jr. on a BET movie. However, I'm disappointed that he answered a question about Denzel's acting talents by saying:

"No matter how many movies Denzel Washington does, he’s still Denzel in every movie – except for the times he played Malcolm X and Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. Those were the roles where he got a chance to stretch a little more. I want to be more like Forest Whitaker in Last King of Scotland. I want to stretch a little more, that’s what I want to do. So playing Martin, I had no fear. It was like here’s a real opportunity to do something. I’m still thrilled about it and I can’t wait to see the finished film."

I guess I should appreciate Malik for being candid in his response. I just don't happen to agree with him. Denzel has been playing a wide variety of roles in his movies. The only common denominator is that bad-ass walk of his. Denzel manages to get a couple of shots in every movie that show him simply walking ... because he has the coolest walk in the history of the cinema.

On another note ... who would be the other three Black male actors on Mount Rushmore in your opinion?

'Django Unchained' is Off the Hook

I was in a sold-out theater on Christmas Day to see 'Django Unchained', starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Let me just say that this was the best movie that I've seen in many, many years. The diverse crowd in the theater loved it ... we cheered, we laughed and we were shocked. The movie brings it all together in subtle and not-so-subtle ways!



I straight-up recommend this movie for all 'villagers'. It is worth paying retail at the theater instead of waiting to see it on Netflix or Red Box.

As an aside ... I think that Spike Lee is wrong. There is no need to boycott this flick. I'm told that the N-Word is used over 110 times. I was concerned about that factoid before I saw the movie. During and after the movie it dawned on me that if the N-Word was used at all ... it was used appropriately. You simply didn't think that the word was used gratuitously. The bigger concern may have been the graphic violence in the movie. In any case the dialogue in the script was appropriate for the time and place in history.

Samuel L. Jackson had some of the best lines in the movie. Like his role in 'Pulp Fiction' ... he wasn't on the screen very much, but his facial expressions and his talking parts were truly memorable and OUTSTANDING!  He reminded me of the grumpy old Black man in the cartoon series, 'Boondocks'.

Kerry Washington is probably my favorite actress nowadays.  She is making her mark in a current television series called, 'Scandal'.   She has a cameo appearance in 'Django' ... and she plays it well.   My only caution to Kerry is to be careful not to take on the same roles that LisaGay Hamilton used to play for most of the past decade.  Y'all know what I'm talking about...

Anytime you can get Jamie, Kerry, Samuel and Leo in a movie together ... it is bound to be great! Go see the movie and tell me what you think!

Wordless Wednesday: Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee is the only African American nominated for a major Oscar this year. Her nomination as best actress in a supporting role came as a result of appearance in the American Gangster.

Ruby was a young woman when she played opposite Sidney Poitier in Raisin in the Sun on both Broadway and big screen.

Of course she was married for over 56 years to Ossie Davis. I hope that she wins the Oscar! Good luck Ruby!

Jennifer Love Hewitt and I Need HD Radio

I feel like a dinosaur when it comes to things like iTunes tagging and iPods and such. I have an unopend iPod Shuffle here on my desk. Perhaps, I need to open up the box and use the iPod Shuffle. At the same time, I think that Jennifer Love Hewitt (that is her in the black bikini) may need to get HD Radio into her exercise room.

What is HD Radio? HD Radio is free, and broadcasts on about 1,500 stations in the US, but offers higher quality audio than standard FM, in addition to features like track ID and extra "piggybacked" channels (called HD2). It seems to be simple to work the HD Radio system.

To get access to these new digital radio stations, a Villagers simply need to buy a radio with a built in HD Radio Tuner, such those found here. Many new cars include an HD Radio built in when you take the car out of the showroom. HD Radio receivers such as the Polk I-Sonic ES2 will also integrate new features, such as iTunes Tagging, which will allow a listener to "tag" a song on their HD radio and easily find it later for download via iTunes.

I understand that I still have my local radio, with local content, information, traffic and weather when I get this new radio technology. However, I'll get some cool extras like having the artist name and song title right on the radio screen. Best of all, there are NO monthly subscription fees ... subscription to this service is FREE!

Sponsored Post

Some Want Mychal Bell Free, Others Want to Shoot or Stab Him

Drumbeats came to us from Too Sense about decision by Rep. John Conyers to call for the release of Mychal Bell from adult prison in Jena, LA.

"Our first responsibility is to get young Mychal Bell out of prison," said Rep. John Conyers, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who said he will pressure the Justice Department to take a hard look at "the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in Jena, Louisiana."

On the other side of the spectrum, we see villages on the far side of the river that are so scared of diversity and harmonious race relations that they fantasize about shooting 17-year old Mychal Bell or stabbing him with his puny knife. Is it any wonder that race relations are so difficult to move in a positive direction?

And don't get me started about Bill O'Reilley and his consistent difficulty understanding Black people. He simply refuses to accept that African Americans are no different than other Americans in our abilities and our dreams for the future.

I had to smile last night when I decided to watch a Billy Bob Thornton movie called 'The Badge'. Billy Bob was LaSalle Parrish sheriff. Yep, the movie was set in Jena, LA. Also, one of the actresses in the move is named Jena. The universe is strange...

Congress Joins the Afrosphere in Battle Against Degrading Images

Villagers, have you heard about the strong case that Black bloggers made against BET programming and Gangsta Crap music? The main targets are Black Entertainment Television (BET), who they call ‘Black Exploitation Television’, and gangsta rappers such as 50cent, Snoop Dog, The Game, and Cam’ron. These artists produce music bloggers brand ‘gangsta crap’.

Gangsta rap regularly glorifies sexism, the n-word, profanities, violence, drug use and dealing, sexism, and the dehumanization of Black men and women. Gangsta rap videos and stereotype-filled shows are the programming staples of BET. "BET and hip hop have gone down hill. They were once inspirations. Now they purvey some of the most harmful anti-Black sentiments you will ever see or hear, and this has become a representation of mainstream Black culture," says Bronze Trinity of the Afrosphere Bloggers Association (ABA).

Congress plans to follow the lead of Black bloggers with a subcommittee hearing on the media "stereotypes and degradation" of Black woman. The hearing is entitled: From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degrading Images.

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, said "I want to engage not just the music industry but the entertainment industry at large to be part of a solution ... I want to talk to executives at these conglomerates who've never taken a public position on what they produce."

The hearing will be broadcast via the Committee website.

Witnesses include Philippe Dauman of Viacom, Doug Morris of Universal Music Group and Edgar Bronfman Jr. of Warner Music Group. Witnesses will discuss the impact of racist and sexist language and images transmitted via interstate commerce and telecommunications modes, the perpetuation of damaging stereotypes, and how best to protect consumers from the increasingly coarse and vulgar language and images that have the effect of undermining important moral values in our society. This hearing will explore these issues in the context of commercial hip hop music and video games, and their impact on popular culture and young people.


Click here for full list of witnesses.
Rush stressed that this is "not an anti-artist hearing, or antimusic or anti-youth hearing." He said he's hoping for voluntary -- not regulatory -- solutions. "I respect the First Amendment, but rights without responsibility is anarchy, and that's much of what we have now. It's time for responsible people to stand up and accept responsibility."

Well, villagers, what are your thoughts on these issues?

Manic Monday: Drop

Morgen's Manic Monday word today is DROP. Have you heard the term DROP-dead gorgeous before? I remember when I was growing up the most beautiful woman in the world showed up on my television on July 16, 1977 when Janelle 'Penny' Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago became the first Black winner in the history of the Miss Universe pageant.

"I felt like a ray of sunshine was around me" is how Janelle described the feeling that night.

It's odd. I still remember where I was when she won the contest. I was on summer vacation out by a lake in Michigan with my grandparents, uncle and such. I understand that when Janelle was announced as the new Miss Universe, Trinidad and Tobago went wild. Evidently, Trinidadian television aired repeats of the pageant for days. The 24 year-old Caribbean beauty declared that she "believed her election would contribute to erasing racial barriers." Proud of her victory, she noted, "Beauty belongs to all people; it has no racial or geographic boundaries."

Today, Janelle runs the largest boat-building company in the Caribbean and maintains a low profile.

My definition of beauty evolved later in life. Halle Berry became the DROP-dead gorgeous woman of my dreams. Halle started out as a beauty queen and model and later became a pioneer for Black women in Hollywood. One of her first roles as a crack addict in Jungle Fever was impressive. She had minor roles in a number of movies such as The Last Boy Scout, Boomerang and The Flintstones.

In 1999 Berry realized a lifelong dream and won an acting Emmy when she produced and starred in the TV biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, about the first Black performer to be nominated for an Oscar as best actress. The part proved prophetic when Berry became the first Black actress to win that coveted award in 2002 for her unglamorous turn as a woman coping with a husband on death row in Monster's Ball. Billy Bob Thornton is still my hero as a result of his role in that movie!
Berry's personal life is a mess with high-profile divorces from professional baseball player David Justice and singer Eric Benet, and a hit-and-run accident and subsequent civil suit in 2000.

Currently, the two DROP-dead gorgeous women that I would love to see in our village are Meagan Good and Serena Williams! Well villagers, care to share your thoughts on a DROP-dead gorgeous man or woman on your mind?

Chris Rock Ain't No Hot Ghetto Mess

Many villagers spent time last month protesting against the 'Hot Ghetto Mess' television show placed on the air by BET. We had some successes in getting advertisers to leave the show as well as getting the objectionable name of the show changed.

During the course of the protest effort another blogger asked me about a Chris Rock vignette called, 'How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked by the Police'. The Teach wondered what I thought about Chris Rock's efforts.


Click here to see the 4-minute comedy sketch




Teach, I laughed out loud during the Chris Rock video! On the other hand, I didn't crack a smile during the HGM pilot show. If the goal of a comedian is to make us laugh ... Chris Rock beats Charlie Murphy by a landslide.

Detroit Drops Ads from Hot Ghetto Mess

It appears that a number of villagers joined me in contacting Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) about our disgust in seeing their sponsorship of the pilot episode of 'Hot Ghetto Mess'. I shared contact information for DMCVB and two other sponsors on last week's 'Hot Ghetto Mess' pilot episode.

My message to DMCVB simply stated,

'I am the immediate past president of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). We brought our national conference to Detroit in August 2005. If the decision was left to me today about whether to come back or not ... I would counsel against it based on the sponsorship that you/DMCVB provided to the pilot episode of 'Hot Ghetto Mess' on BET last night. I cannot begin to tell you the level of disappointment, bordering on disgust, that I felt when I realized that the DMCVB decided to use member dollars to fund a show that is so disrespectful to the African American community.
Who should I speak with to register my complaint about your marketing decision? My hope is that DMCVB will join State Farm and Home Depot in taking proactive steps to remove any future advertising dollars from this disrespectful show that is based on the Hot Ghetto Mess website. Please review the website and tell me how you/your organization thought that this was something worthy of your marketing dollars?'

I received a response this afternoon from Kathy Smith (DMCVB advertising manager). She wrote, I had to smile when the cable affiliate wrote,

"I work for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and it was
brought to my attention that the DMCVB was associated with a program called "Hot Ghetto Mess" - - - the DMCVB and our advertising agency of record (Berline) had absolutely no idea the DMCVB was listed as a sponsor of this show until
mentioned in your blog. The mistake has been corrected. Please see the letter
attached from the cable affiliate.

'Please know that we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused. We will add 10 scheduled spots in acceptable programming to your current schedule. We appreciate your business and will work very hard to avoid any such issues in the future.'

I gotta give props to my peeps in Detroit for turning this situation into ten extra commercial slots on other shows. More important, I am pleased that DMCVB was open to constructive criticism about their advertising decision. I wonder what it will take to get the other advertisers on the 'Hot Ghetto Mess' to pull out?

Villagers, did you contact the advertisers on this show to let them know your disappointment?

Who Sponsors Hot Ghetto Mess?

I watched the pilot show of Hot Ghetto Mess (by any other name) on BET. It was funny to see the new logo and show name. Obviously, it was too late to change the narration from Charlie Murphy as he repeatedly referred to the show as 'Hot Ghetto Mess'.

It also seems obvious that BET struggled to sell advertising time on the show. 80% of the commercial time was filled with promos of other BET shows.

One of the oddest moments during the show was a promo of an upcoming BET interview with Oprah Winfrey. I tend to believe that Oprah won't be happy to see her image and words used as a backdrop for 'Hot Ghetto Mess'.

However, there were three fools who had the audacity to spend their corporate dollars to sponsor the pilot show. My hope is that everyone reading this blog post will take a moment to make a phone call or send an email to these corporate sponsors to let them know your disappointment. Here are the three sponsors that chose to disrespect the African American community by spending our money (as customers of their products) on this mess.

The largest sponsor for the pilot show appeared to be ASCENDANT Pictures. The company is an independent film development, production, finance and foreign distribution company who paid BET to air multiple commercials about their upcoming movie called Who's Your Caddy. ASCENDANT PICTURES is run by Chris Roberts and Christopher Eberts. You can reach them right now by phone (310.288-4600), email (info@ascendantpictures.com), fax (310.288-4601) or mail (9350 Civic Center Drive, Suite 110; Beverly Hills, CA 90210).

A second HGM sponsor was the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. I was very disappointed to see one of my favorite cities... Detroit ... advertising on HGM. I have to believe that it will not take much to get them to remove their sponsorship from future shows with our calls or letters. My suggestion is that you place the call right now ... leave a message if it is after-hours when you are reading this message ... to Angela Gillis at (313) 202-1973 or you can email her at agillis@visitdetroit.com. Another unique way to get leverage on the DMCVB is to contact some of their influential members. You can click here to identify some of the business members. Share with them your disappointment in their decision to use membership dues in such a disrespectful manner to the Black community.

The final HGM sponsor is an Ohio-based company --> The Original Mattress Factory located at 4930 State Road; Cleveland OH 44134. The founder and president is Ron Trzcinski. According to Trzcinski: "Profit is a report card, a scorecard, a won-lost record. I don't sit in the mattress factory and say, 'How can we make a profit?' I ask, 'How can we do a better job? How can we make people want to come in? How can we help people see the value?' If you do all those things, you will make a profit." Let's reach out to Ron to let him know that African Americans are not interested in buying a mattress from a company that is so disrespectful to people of African descent. You can click here to email Ron or you can reach him by phone (216.661-8388) or send him a fax (216.661-2337).



Villagers, it is time for us to speak truth to power.
It is time for us to turn our consumer buying potential into action. I urge you to pick up your cell phone and make three phone calls right now ... before you do anything else ... let these fools know that we simply won't accept this nonsense any longer. State Farm and Home Depot did the right thing.

Let's help ASCENDANT Pictures, Detroit Convention Bureau and The Original Mattress Factory do the right thing as well.

Manic Monday: Wind

The Manic Monday word this week is WIND. I considered going musical with Earth Wind and Fire. Some of my best slow-dance memories are a direct result of EWF magic. I also enjoy all renditions of 'The Wind Beneath My Wings'. I thought about going oceanic to discuss wind-blown sailboats. However, at the end of the day, most of you come to the Electronic Village Manic Monday meme in search of a unique aspect of African American history.

I'll try not to disappoint.

Did you know that the top movie quote of all time comes from the movie, Gone With The Wind? Many of you are saying the quote before you read this sentence --> "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

But, how many of you know that a parody of Gone With The Wind was written a few years ago called, The Wind Done Gone? The book was written by Alice Randall. Randall was born in Detroit and graduated from Harvard in 1981. She was awarded the Free Spirit Award in 2001 and the Literature Award of Excellence by the Memphis Black Writers Conference in 2002, and she was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award in 2002. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Alice Randall catapulted into the spotlight for her parody of "Gone With The Wind," a project she contemplated after learning that Malcolm X once said the movie ruined a whole summer of his.

"As a Black person in America, I always knew that a lot of Black people hated ‘Gone With The Wind,’ and as a Black child, I myself felt injured by the narrative," Randall said. "My book was the equivalent of Prissy slapping Scarlett."

Writing the parody was a way for her—and for her readers—to cope with the trauma of reading Margaret Mitchell’s book and watching the movie it spawned. Randall explores the abandonment a Black girl feels when her biological mother takes care of a white girl. "Mammy was my Mama. Even though she let me go, I miss her," Randall writes in the novel. "Sometimes I comb through my long springy curls and pretend that the hand holding the comb is hers. But I don’t know what that looks like."

But the hands holding the copyright to "Gone With the Wind"—Mitchell’s heirs—thought Randall’s parody looked too much like the original. The Mitchell estate sued to block its publication. In April 2001, U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell blocked the publication of the novel, writing that it "constitutes unabated piracy of ‘Gone With the Wind.’"

But "The Wind Done Gone" wasn’t gone for long.

Just one month later, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the injunction, saying the order "amounts to an unlawful prior restraint in violation of the First Amendment." That year, Randall’s book hit The New York Times’ bestseller list. But the legal fight had left Randall shaken.

"The attempt by the Mitchell estate to use the copyright laws to effect censorship was shocking and chilling, but I did not allow that to stop me," she says.

In fact, Alice Randall is the only African American woman ever to write a number-one country song. She recorded more than twenty songs. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award. Her work includes the only known recorded country songs to explore the subject of lynching (Mark O'Connor's "The Ballad of Sally Anne" ), mention Aretha Franklin in the same line as Patsy Cline (Trisha Yearwood's "Xxx's and Ooo's (An American Girl)" ), and give tribute to both the slave dead and the Confederate dead ("I'll Cry for Yours, Will You Cry for Mine?").

She’s now writing what she calls a "guide to country music in cyberspace."

Well villagers ... I hope you enjoyed our afrocentric twist on the Manic Monday meme!

Hot Ghetto Mess Trying to Clean Up

BET and the jackal blinked first. All references to 'Hot Ghetto Mess' have been removed from their website.

BET decided to change the name of the show to 'We Got To Do Better'. The details of the backchannel communications are described on the WhatAboutOurDaughters blog.

The name change does the following things:

1. It removes the direct and obvious connection to the pornographic website upon which the show is based.
2. It removes the denigrating reference ('Hot Ghetto Mess') that would be inevitably tied to the African American community.
3. It removes the irritating HGM logo from the network.
4. Most importantly, it demonstrates again the power of Black bloggers if we are strategic and direct in our approach.

In my view, the next step is to see which corporations purchase advertisements on the show. If the show doesn't treat our community with dignity and respect ... then I anticipate that the campaign will move towards those advertisers. It is difficult for me to understand how respectable corporations will have their name associated with a show that degrades our people.

Much love to Gina McCauley for the time and effort that she placed into this protest effort. Gina has never visited our blog ... however, she is now an OV (Original Villager)!

Well villagers, what are your thoughts on this latest development?

Hot Ghetto Mess Does Damage Control

It amazes me how a college-educated brother can be in such denial. I see where Reginald Hudlin was doing damage control over the weekend. Reginald Hudlin heads up the Entertainment portion of Black Entertainment Television (BET). Hudlin feels that "Hot Ghetto Mess," a BET series that's provoked criticism and lost advertisers before it's even aired, will prove detractors wrong. At least two companies, State Farm Insurance Cos. and Home Depot, asked BET to drop their ads from the series' debut. Hudlin dismisses this by noting that neither sponsor had yet to see the show.

"It's unfortunate that people are making an erroneous presumption based on absolutely zero information," Hudlin told a meeting Sunday of the Television Critics Association.

"Hot Ghetto Mess," debuting July 25, combines viewer-submitted home videos and BET-produced man-on-the-street interviews that the channel said are intended to challenge and inspire "viewers to improve themselves and their communities." The six-episode series is hosted by comedian Charlie Murphy ("Chappelle's Show") is based on a Web site that features photos of men and women, mostly Black, with extreme hairstyles and clothing typically linked to hip-hop fashion.

I was surprised to learn that the website was created by a 34-year old Black female attorney from the Washington DC area ... Jam Donaldson. Turns out that Jam is also the executive producer of the television show. Donaldson told reporters that the series has "exceeded my expectations."

"Everyone that sees the show will be pleasantly surprised. ... I think they will learn something. There's Black history. We go to the community and ask what their opinion of some of these images are," she said.

"The show is so much more than the name," Donaldson said. She started the site because of "images of Black dysfunction" that were being distributed on the Internet without any discussion of the need for change. Personally, I think that she started the site because she saw an opportunity to exploit the Black community for money. She is no better than a street corner pimp in my view.

Hudlin had nerve enough to compare the show with a true American icon when he said, "The intent of the show is no different than what Bill Cosby is doing as he's going across the country and lecturing as he talks about the problems of the (Black) community that we need to address," he said. "Hot Ghetto Mess" approaches its goal in a lively way that will engage BET's young audience, Hudlin said.

"At the end of the day, the most responsible thing we can do is create a dialogue about those things," Hudlin told The Associated Press.

Most villagers agree that this show is simply a mess and that we can have a dialogue without demeaning African Americans for the entertainment of whites and others. It is simply a case of exploitation by Hudlin, Donaldson and the white media conglomerate, Viacom, that owns BET.

We encourage all villagers to take proactive steps to protest 'Hot Ghetto Mess' including your support of online petition to remove the show from the airwaves.

Well villagers, what say u? What do you see as the outcome of this situation?

Hot Ghetto Mess Removed from BET?

The drums are beginning to beat loudly all around the Electronic Village. Today, we received an unconfirmed report from HipHopDX that Hot Ghetto Mess is going to be removed from the BET lineup before the pilot show scheduled for July 25. Stay tuned to see if BET makes public announcement in the next few days.

BET is a Hot Ghetto Mess

A few months ago we joined others in the AfroSpear in urging that all villagers sign a petition protesting the negative images placed in our homes by BET and others. Recent developments give credence to those of you that refer to Black Entertainment Television (BET) as Black Exploitation Television.

Y'all know that I am OV (as Danielle recently coined us 'Original Villagers'). OVs remember when BET had some great talk shows hosted by Tavis Smiley and Ed Gordon. We remember the original Video Soul with Donnie Simpson. I enjoyed the concept of BET so much that I once owned stock in BET Holdings ... the company that Bob Johnson took public as part of his move towards becoming a billionaire.

Today the network reaches about 85 million homes, has an 18 percent nonblack audience, and its core viewers are 18 to 34 years old.

I don't think that anyone denies that BET has done a lousy job of programming for many years. The oldest and largest cable network aimed at African Americans has long depended on reruns, movies and music videos, developing few hits of its own. In fact, the National Association of Black Journalists plans to give a Thumbs Down Award to BET, citing "its depiction of Black images in the media, lack of news and public affairs" and the network’s failure to broadcast Coretta Scott King’s funeral in 2006.

BET needs a fresh profile. As such, I was happy when BET announced an effort to debut 16 new shows over the course of the next year as part of a BET face-lift. After all, the cable television market is very competitive. Other stations such as VH-1, TNT and USA Network are adding viewers at a rapid click with original programming.

The network, a division of Viacom, has other original scripted series on tap, including:

• "Somebodies" about a group of recent college graduates in Athens, GA
• "Exalted!", a biography series starting in the fall that will focus on ministers
• "Judge Mooney", Paul Mooney, the comedian, will have his own daily court show
• Comic-book artist Denys Cowan (His company created the Black teenage superhero Static Shock) is bringing in three fresh programs
• Orlando Jones (the actor and "Mad TV" writer) and Ali LeRoi (co-creator of "Everybody Hates Chris") have teamed up to create an animated sketch comedy.
• "Hannibal the Conquerer", an animated series about the ancient North African general (produced by Vin Diesel)
• "Cipha", an animated science-fiction series about a future in which hip-hop is outlawed (produced by Will Smith)
• "Hell Date", a nightly reality show that hooks up unsuspecting suitors with the opposite of their dream date.
• "Take the Cake", an hourlong live interactive game show of pop-culture trivia questions.
• "S.O.B. (Socially Offensive Behavior)", is a cocktail of sociology and comedy that uses hidden cameras to capture people’s reactions to strange, politically incorrect situations. For example patrons in a restaurant are told that seating is by race. Comedian D. L. Hughley is the host of this show.
• "Hot Ghetto Mess", which uses commentary, video clips and man-on-the-street interviews to examine Black popular culture. The show was inspired by the much-debated Web site of the same name, which showcases and comments on what it deems to be outrageous Black behavior.

Bloggers, including many in the AfroSpear, are protesting "Hot Ghetto Mess". Leading the charge is What About Our Daughters, a blog and audio podcast addressing depictions of Black women in popular culture. In recent weeks, the site targeted advertisers that appeared on a BET.com Web page advertising "Mess", including AT&T Corp., DaimlerChrysler and Target. Two advertisers, State Farm and Home Depot, released statements acknowledging that they withdrew both TV and online spots as a result of the boycott threat.
In many ways this looks like the Imus debate from earlier in the year. The next step is for large corporations to stop subsidizing degrading images of African Americans. A prolonged and consistent pattern of BET profiting off of promoting images that malign and degrade African Americans needs to come to an end.

It is odd how people look at the same show so differently. BET says,

"Hot Ghetto Mess" is an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek examination of the good, the bad and the ugly of Black popular culture. Utilizing comedy, man-on-the-street interviews, video clips, pictures and music, "Hot Ghetto Mess" aims to shine a spotlight on prevalent images in pop culture and examine what role they play in American lifestyle. "Hot Ghetto Mess" goes where most shows fear to tread. As host Charlie Murphy guides viewers through shaking booties, thug life, baby-mama drama and pimped-out high schoolers, "Hot Ghetto Mess" will explore what these images really mean to all of us. Cutting edge, original, relevant and irreverent, "Hot Ghetto Mess" is like the traffic accident you can’t look away from. Viewers will laugh. They'll cry. They'll think. They'll learn, and hopefully they'll recognize they've GOT to do better.

Personally, I feel that BET needs to do better. I encourage villagers to take proactive steps to protest 'Hot Ghetto Mess' including your support of online petition to remove the show from the airwaves. The show needs to be pulled from the air with the same quickness that Imus was pulled from radio and television. The offense is the same whether perpetuated by an old white guy or a Black cable television station.

Well, Villagers ... what say u?

Hawaii On My Mind

It is summer time. Time to begin thinking about vacation spots. My favorite vacation in the past took place in Hawaii. Once you get outside crowded, touristy Waikiki, it is beautiful. Serene. The air oozes with the fragrance of exotic tropical flowers. Thick banyan trees gracefully drop their branches to the ground, and grow upwards from there. The water is a pristine turquoise blue. The beaches are immaculate, and uncrowded.

Moreover, you can try out just about any water sport you ever imagined. After all, surfing began here. I am not a surfer ... but I can snorkel with the best of 'em!

The food is great, too. You can get just nearly anything you like, but preferred local delicacies come from the sea. Fresh mahi-mahi and opakapaka plucked from the Pacific Ocean and garnished with Hawaiian macadamia nuts are memorable.

I am not looking to get married again ... but, if I did ... I would likely get a Hawaii home rentals and simply enjoy myself. Heck, the more I think about it ... the Villager may need to make this move sooner rather than later!

How about you? Do you have any vacation plans this summer?

Why Did I Get Married?

I know that Villagers tend to rely on the Invisible Woman for tips on Black cinema ... and I recognize that I have never seen a single play, movie, book, television show or schoolyard skit written by Tyler Perry in my life. However, I encourage all villagers to run, not walk to the theatre to see the Tyler Perry flick called 'Why Did I Get Married?'.

Any nubian that is ... or has ever been ... married needs to see this movie and buy the DVD when it comes out for your home collection. Dayum, this was a good movie.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Saturday Morning Cartoons

I was at a cook-out over the past weekend and the discussion turned to some of the big summer movies that are coming out in the next few days. A brother at the cook-out mentioned that he couldn't wait to see the new Transformer movie. It dawned on me that I don't even know what a Transformer is. I missed that whole generation of cartoons. In fact, I'm convinced that today's young people don't know much about cartoons because Saturday mornings are full of youthful soap operas ... not good ol' fashioned cartoons.
I grew up when you would watch cartoons on Saturday morning. Felix the Cat. Popeye. Magilla the Gorilla. Mr. Magoo. Johnny Quest. Speed Racer.

My 7-year old son didn't know who Dino was for chrissakes! NOTE: He was the pet dinosaur owned by Fred & Wilma Flintstones.
Anyhow, back to the Transformers. One of the kids at the cook-out went to his family's car and brought back a transformer doll or figurine or whatever it is called. When I saw it I realized that the Transformers people are simply Gigantor-on-steroids! I saw the Transformer and felt better when I realized that new school was simply a modern version of my ol' school!

C'mon ol' school villagers ... sing along with me!

Gi-GAN-tor, Gi-GAN-tor, Gi-GANNNN-tor.

Gigantor the space aged robot,
He is at your command.
Gigantor the space aged robot,
His power is in your hand.

Bigger than big, taller than tall,
Quicker than quick, stronger than strong.
Ready to fight for right, against wrong.
Gigantor, Gigantor, Gigantor.

Care to share your favorite Saturday cartoon memory?

Letter to Hip Hop by Bridget Grey

Gina over at What About Our Daughters blog shared this Letter to Hip Hop by Bridget Grey. Sis. Grey hits the nail on the head. I encourage all villagers to invest five minutes to check out her words.





Villagers, what did you think of the sister's message?