As your pop culture guide, I feel obligated to tell you about the coolest people in pop culture. If you haven't already heard of these great folks be sure to google them as soon as you finish reading this post.
Billy on the Street: Billy Eichner is the host of Funny or Die's Billy on the Street, a pop culture trivia kinda-game show. Billy approaches random people on the streets of New York and ask them random questions about music and celebrities. What makes this show so drop dead funny is his approach. He yells, curse, and insults people and miraculously doesn't get punched in the face. You might also recognize him from his character Craig, the bipolar office manager, on NBC's Parks and Rec. He was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Gameshow Host. Yea, he's something incredible. Check out the video below to witness all his awesomeness:
Source: deadline.com
Issa Rae: I have talked about Ms. Issa in an earlier post but I had to mention her again (and it probably won't be the last). Issa Rae is who I want to be when I grow up. She makes me want to create stuff. She is a my shero and I wish we were roommates so I could absorb all her coolness. Issa Rae is the creator of the YouTube series, Awkward Black Girl. When you watch it you are going to think that she has been secretly taping you all your life. Her show is actually the reason I have become comfortable with my own socially awkward ways. She has also created other online series including The Choir and Ratchet Piece Theater. And you most definitely want to watch Ratchet Piece Theater. She breaks down some of the most ratchet songs and it will have you in tears. She is also working on a new series for HBO so yea, she kind of a big deal. Like for real, check her out.
Be Blacker: You might recognize Nicole Byer from Girl Code. This. girl. is. FUNNY. I saw one of YouTube videos about being black in Hollywood and I laughed for hours. I have never auditioned for a movie but I believe this is exactly how it would be. She also works with the YouTube channel UCBComedy with the newest member of SNL, Sasheer Zamata. What makes me go goo-goo for her is how comfortable she is in her skin. She seems like the type of person that says whatever is on her mind. If you don't believe me check her out below:
Source: us.emelisande.com
Emeli Sande: I love good music that comes out of nowhere and that's British Pop Artist, Emeli Sande. I bought her album end of last year and I'm still listening to it. It's something about this girl's voice. She has a song called Where I Sleep and I could let that song rock me to sleep. I really feel that she is going to be snatching wigs and I can't wait to hear more music from her.
Source: stuffmomnevertoldyou.tumblr.com
Stuff Mom Never Told You: Did you know that the first craft beer brewers were women? You can learn this and more by listening to the podcast, Stuff Mom Never Told You hosted byCristen Conger and Caroline Ervin. They talk about everything that concerns women from Beyonce Feminism to the history of women wearing pants. It blows my mind how knowledgeable they are. They are walking and talking encyclopedias. Don't judge an episode by its title. I just listened to Craft Beer Brewsters and thought it was going to be boring considering the fact I'm not a fan of beer, but it was quite enlightening.
I hope I introduced you to something new and hope you love these folks as much as I do.
Is there something in pop culture you would like me to review? Leave it in the comments.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll love ya, tomorrow. You're only a day away."
The first musical I vividly remember watching as a child was Annie. I remember that my mom rented the VHS (yep, it was the 90's) starring Carol Burnett and Albert Finny with Aileen Quinn playing the title role. I instantly fell in love with every ounce of this movie. I roamed our home reenacting every scene from a Hard Knock Life to You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile. I know my mom grew very tired of hearing me sing Tomorrow. Life got even better when she took me to see the stage play when it came to Little Rock. It's safe to say that I'm a huge fan of the movie and play.
One day as I was casually scrolling my Newsfeed, I see a trailer titled Annie but it's Quvenzhane Wallis playing the famous, rambunctious orphan. Are my eyes playing a trick on me? Nope, this is real. As I watched the video, I realized that this new version was modernized and it was going to be a bit different from the original.
Along with Quvenzhane, the remake will also star Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Foxx will be a politician running for Mayor and will use Annie to improve his public image and Diaz will play the infamous Ms. Hannigan.
Needless to say, the in-the-closet racists took to the Twittersphere and expressed their butt-hurt feelings that the new Annie would not be a red curly hair, white girl. Because you know Annie was a real person so it has to be played by a white girl with freckles. No, I kid. Annie is a fictional character about a orphan so it can be played by any girl of any race.
However, Annie's nationality is the least of my worries. We all know that remakes can go one of two ways: either really good or really bad. The Wiz: really good. The new Steel Magnolias: really bad. Diana Ross and Michael Jackson made The Wiz an instant hit while Queen Latifah's southern accent kept leaving and magically appearing throughout Steel Magnolias. I just don't want to see my beloved musical ripped to shreds. I hope that the Academy Award nominated Quvenzhane Wallis and the Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx can pull off the iconic roles. I'm putting the most pressure on these two.
All I want to know is will it be worth my $9? Will I walk away from this movie wanting my hour and 30 minutes back or will I leave the movie singing Tomorrow (loudly) in the parking lot? I pray it's the latter.
Are you excited for the Annie remake? Leave a comment below.
If you didn't tune in to the Oscars last night because you thought it was going to be the same old boring award show, then you missed a great show that closed out the movie award season. This year's Oscars was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and she really knocked it out of the park. So let's just dig into some of the great moments of last night's show:
Opening monologue: Let's face it, the host's opening monologue makes or breaks the entire show. It sets the tone for how well the host is going to do. Ellen set the tone right because she gave a hilarious opening monologue. She knows just how far to make fun of the stars in the audience without crossing the line. I think some people might have thought she pushed it with basically calling Liza Minnelli a man but even still it was a great opening. My favorite moment was when she called out J-Law (Jennifer Lawrence) on her infamous fall receiving her Oscar last year and suggested bringing the award to her this year if she was to win it. Only Ellen could execute that perfectly.
Jared Leto's Acceptance Speech: Jared won Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. In his acceptance speech he spoke about his mom being a young mother and still teaching her children to chase their dreams. I should add that his mother was his date which always makes an actor a winner in my book. He also spoke about the millions of people who have lost their lives to AIDS. I don't know much about this guy but he is a winner on many levels. Also, can I add that Jared Leto's hair was flowing? Can someone tell me what conditioner he uses because I need my hair shiny like that. He must do an egg and mayo mask on his hair once a week. Forget about the Virgin Brazilian, I'm trying to find where to purchase that Leto.
Am I the only one that is mesmerized by his locks? Source: instyle.com
Pharrell Performs Happy: I have only recently fallen in love with this song so when I found out that Pharrell was going to perform I got real excited. Pharrell, along with his signature Arby's hat, did a great job performing Happy on the Oscars. His performance really added some youth to the sometimes stuffy Oscars. Not only because Pharrell doesn't age but the song itself just takes you back to being a kid. He also had kids performing with him and when they hit that Nae Nae I was hollering. Pharrell better give the Oscars some hip hop flair. And before I forget, did you see him shimmy with Meryl Streep and jig with Lupita Nyong'o? Mr. Fountain of Youth, you get a "Yaaaaaassssssss" for that performance.
His performance made me happy. Source: billboard.com
Somebody Auditioned for Sunday Best During the Oscars: During the show where they are giving awards for categories where I don't know any of the nominees is usually when I start exploring the Twittersphere. Out of nowhere I hear someone belt His Eyes are on the Sparrow and it took me awhile to gather my thoughts because I was not sure what had happened. Apparently, it was Darlene Love who was in 20 Feet from Stardom which took home the award for Best Documentary. And she had not one ounce of shame for her impromptu performance. Ma'am, you better praise him.
Ellen Orders Pizza: Did I mention that Ellen was a great host? Between the presenters, Ellen could be found in the audience rubbing elbows with Hollywood's most talented. Ellen cracked a joke about how hungry everybody was and mention ordering pizza. A few minutes later they are passing out pizza to stars like Brad Pitt, Kerry Washington, Meryl Streep, and J-Law. Like they were really eating pizza at the Oscars! The next bit was Ellen taking up an offering for the pizza using Pharrell's hat. This woman can't get any more ridiculous!
Lupita wins Best Supporting Actress: The only reason I was watching this year's award show was to make sure that Lupita Nyong'o won. Because if she didn't I was researching and stalking every Oscar voter and they were going to have to answer some questions for me. However lucky for them this will not be the case because Lupita won. What I love about her win was how gracious she was with it. She thanked everyone, including the training she got from her parents. I loved her final quote
"No matter where you're from your dreams are valid"
Yes, girl, my dreams are valid and my dreams are to get the same regiment you use for your skin because your face is radiant and beat. Lupita promise me that you will continue to show Hollywood that us dark skin girls have talent and grace and deserve our spot on the big screen. You are my shero.
"Your Dreams are Valid"
The Best Selfie Ever: Ellen decided she wanted to help Meryl Streep break another record (She currently has been nominated the most times for an Academy Award): become the most retweeted photo on Twitter. So she took this photo with Meryl, J-Law, Julia Roberts, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto, Lupita and her brother, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, and Angelina Joli. And it truly was the best selfie ever! It got a whooping 2.6 million retweets beating President Obama's photo he tweeted when won his second presidential term. Yes, it was that epic.
2.6 million retweets!!!!!
I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but Ellen is the greatest host ever. Oscars, how about you just go head and get her to sign a contract to host the award show for life. She really made the 3 and a half hour show bearable.
What was your favorite moment of the show? Leave it in the comments.
Every now and then I go through a phase where I always want a book in my hands. A lot of times this happens when I don't have cable or I'm sick of watching Law & Order marathons. But at other times it's because I want to escape. Those authors that can take you another world or make you forget your present situation are the best.
Source: tower.com
Everyone knows her I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsand it's details on her being raped and
how she went silent in speech for awhile.
But Maya Angelou's Gather Together in My Nametook me to another place. This book
is the second in the series of Angelou’s autobiography. What impressed me the most was
her openness. We get a front row seat to her tales of prostitution and running a whore house. We also get an inside look to her failed relationships: one being with a married man and another being with a married pimp. There were times when I would reread paragraphs and have to remind myself that I was reading an autobiography because these stories were something you saw in a 70's blaxploitation film. However, this was not a movie, this was a black woman's life.
Speaking of being a black woman, that is a story within itself. Facing problems that women still face today, she also had to deal with Old South attitudes and being seen as less than her white counterpart. Angelou was living in a world completely unknown to my generation. A world that immediately saw you as less than human just because of the color of your skin. I can count on one hand how many times I have encountered racism but in Angelou's world it was as common as blue skies. Can you imagine coming of age in a world that hates you and you don't know why? Every black person that made it out of that era with their sanity deserves a medal. And Ms. Angelou deserves two medals because she has her sanity and a talent with words.
Another reason I enjoyed this book so much is because I see my favorite author's flaws and imperfections. When we see accomplished public figures, we assume that have always had it figured out. We imagine that every trial they have faced they passed it with flying colors. It's nice to see that they are just as human as we are. They have made stupid mistakes. They have broken laws. They have fell for the wrong guys. They have had broken hearts. After reading Gather Together in My Name Maya Angelou was no longer just a great writer but she was my homegirl.
Her stories remind me of stories in the Bible. Yea we get the good stuff but we also get the bad. The reason I have a connection with Moses is not just because he stood up to Pharaoh and led the Israelites out of Egypt but he also had a speech impediment and lost his cool when the Isrealites were getting on his nerves. I like Peter because he was follower of Jesus but he also had a problem with being pretentious. Maya was a brave young single mother but she also could be a little haughty and irrational. Knowing someone's best attributes as well as their Achilles heel just makes them more than a well known figure, it makes them real.
I have gone through things I would like to forget, much less write about them for millions to read. How Angelou mustered up the courage to write about these events in her life is beyond me. I'm glad that she found the courage though. It makes me feel that it's not only possible to survive some of my bad decisions but I won't live the rest of my life defined by those bad decisions.
Yasssss Ms. Angelou, call me when you ready for girl talk. Source: motivationalday.com
Maya Angelou, you're my homegirl and I look forward to the day we sit down to have drinks and have a good cackle.
My next post for Black History Month is more about someone making Black History. In high school, we all had to read the classics: To Kill A Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, 1984, Hamlet, Beowulf, and so on and so forth. Like most high school students, you were not excited to read them. And also like most high students, you did as much as you could to get the gist of the story without actually reading the story. Some looked for summaries online and others bought the CliffNotes. But even the CliffNotes could be a bore. Unless you had one of those teachers that made reading Pride & Prejudice seem like an action movie, 10th grade English was the most dreadful time of your high school years.
The Sparky Sweets Source:thug-notes.com
Well, there is someone that is making the classics gansta... literally. I present to you Sparky Sweets, Ph.D. He is the host of the YouTube series, Thug Notes. He basically breaks a book down in 3 minutes and then gives you a 2 minute analysis. And he does all this while wearing a du-rag, chains, tank top, and shorts speaking with street lingo. And the crazy thing is the videos are surprisingly good! Don't believe me? Here is just one of his great videos:
Is it just me or did he give To Kill A Mockingbird the most street cred? After watching most of his videos, he made me want to go on a classical book reading binge. I was ashamed by this thug that I hadn't read more of these books. But if I'm being really honest, I wish I had these videos in high school. Unfortunately, YouTube wasn't a site until 2005 and even then it was mostly videos of people falling and kittens. So yea, I was stuck having to read Romeo and Juliet on my own and do my best to decipher Shakespearean jargon.
Sparky has said that his initial reasons for making the videos were to bring classic literature to the masses. He realized that those who were teaching literature were not making it accessible to all but making folks feel they had to step up a social level to appreciate great literature. He breaks it down as simple as possible and after those 5 minutes there is no reason you shouldn't understand that Of Mice and Men is about how no matter how hard you work your dreams will always be a dream because the rich is always holding you down. Dang the rich.
He also helps us realize that those books our teachers tried to make us read were not as boring as we thought. He explains these books go beyond the plots we read and how they still ring true today. Dante's Inferno and The Picture of Dorian Gray dive into our fight with sin and purity. McBeth and Romeo and Juliet tackles fate and asks the question, do we really have control of what happens to us? Yall thought our teachers were trying to torture us but they were trying to get us to explore deeper truths.
So support this brotha in his efforts to bring the classics to the hood and be sure to visit Thug Notes on Youtube.
In my next Black History Month post, I want to take some of yall back... alllllll the way back. Back when dial-up was our main source for Internet, this was that site. You were constantly updating your page with ratchet graphics and tacky backgrounds. Have you guess what site I'm talking about?
If you said Black Planet then you guessed right. Black Planet wasn't just any site. It was Instagram but only with selfies (before selfie was in the dictionary). It was Facebook without the annoying status updates every 20 minutes. Your page painted a picture of who you were. I know I wasn't the only that worked hours at making my page look perfect. You made a wordy description of yourself where you felt a need to tell people how fine you were however you were only looking for "friends". You would come up with a color scheme (usually pink, purple, or baby blue if you were a girl) and everything on that page had to be that color.
There was a science to making the perfect page. After you picked the color scheme, you then had to add graphics. And not just any graphics, but graphics that explained my 16 year old self. I had a glittery graphic that said "Sexy", purple one that read "Angel", and green camo graphic that boldly said "BabyGirl". Then to top it off, you had to make sure you added a graphic that reminded people to "Show Your Page Some Love".
Why were we blinded to the fact that this stuff looked horrible? Why did we think we had the flyest pages? I wish I could take a screen shot of my page from 2005. I would be ashamed of myself. One thing I can say is that I'm surprised that more black people from this era did not become graphic designers. We were most definitely getting hours of practice.
What puzzled me was what exactly was I supposed to be doing on Black Planet? My mom had scared me straight with numerous 20/20 and Dateline Specials so I knew better than to give my number to an online lurker. But for the brave who ignored 20/20's warnings, did anybody meet someone over Black Planet and actually have a lasting, loving relationship. When Jerome and Takesha renew their vows at their 20th anniversary will they reference Black Planet as the place they found true love? Will Jerome tell his kids how he couldn't live another minute without Takesha once he saw her page with its Cash Money Millionaire background? I hope so. I want true love for Jerome and Takesha.
All jokes aside, Black Planet was a simpler time. We were just learning what social media was. We had no idea the power social media had yet we still had an understanding of just how much we should share online. You didn't hear numerous incidents about bullying on Black Planet. You basically looked at someone's fancy page and moved on to the next. There were no trolls or stan wars. You didn't get into online battles with racists idiots whose profile picture is Darth Vader. No crazy names like Takesha BoutMyMoney James. Instead, you had B@byGirl1988. It was just simple page browsing. Sounds boring but at least we didn't have the problems we have online now.
Just like how Elvis stole Rock n' Rock from Little Richard, Facebook stole social media from Black Planet. Now poor Black Planet is a wasteland full of ratchets and ratchettes. I recently went by the old place just to see how it was doing and found out they have an app! Good for you, Black Planet, for fighting the good fight.
Do you all remember your Black Planet Page? Be honest, is it still active?
Cold. Irrelevant. Flop. These words are regularly tossed around on Twitter describing artists who no longer on top. Artists are scrambling to put out music that sounds like everything else on the radio just to keep themselves on the radar. All artists are continually be compared to the one artist on top. Needless to say, it's not easy for up and comings or the veterans. But was it always like this. Let's hear what legendary producers, Missy Elliot and Timbaland, have to say:
Back in 2012, Missy and Timbaland did an interview at The Breakfast Club and what they said still rings true two years later. Around the 23:00 mark, Missy and Timb drop some real knowledge about the current situation of black music today.
Charlamagne, one of the host of the Breakfast Club, is infamous for calling artists out for being away awhile, or "cold" as he calls it. I love how Timb shuts him down by saying that back in the 90s they didn't call artists cold. Timb explained that you waited for artists to come out with new music, not cut them down for being absent. Missy gave a heart felt explanation about respecting artists, past and present.
After watching this interview it got me to wondering: where's the unity in black music? I understand that the business is a competition. Everybody wants to be number 1 on the charts and I get it. But as Missy brings out in the interview, you still show respect to those who came out before you. Nowadays, these new folks pay no homage to the legends. There is no appreciation for those who made a way from them. All you got now is a lot digs and shade.
You never heard Tina Turner coming at Aretha Franklin. You never heard The Temptations talking trash about The Four Tops. There was a mutual respect. Behind closed doors they probably did talk smack about other artists but in public it was all kosher. Even in the 90s (beside the whole west side, east side feud) artists gave each other respect. There was no bad blood between En Vogue and SWV. Now, you got K. Michelle and Tamar on Twitter beefing about wigs or something.
A major reason for this issue is social media. Yes, I said social media. I don't know where the PR people are but they're all slipping. I say this because artists have no chill when it comes to Twitter. Keyshia Cole coming for Michelle Williams. Brian McKnight coming for Chris Brown. Rihanna coming for Ciara. When is the last time you saw Taylor Swift tweeting Selena Gomez about who sold out more arenas? I hate to say it but these pop artists understand there is power in major collaborations and crossovers. You can't be moving up in the world if you going back and forth on social media. At all times, you want people to be talking about your music, not your latest tweet. The reason why Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Jay-Z have longevity in this business is because they're not putting energy into the petty stuff. These new ones better start taking notes.
And do not get me started on these stans. Back in the day, hardcore fans use to cry at concerts and make posters for their favorite artists for TRL. Fans are no longer just crying, but these STANS (stalker/fans) are taking things to another level. Stans wish death upon those who speak ill of their favs. They have created a negative energy around a lot of artists. You got the Bey Hive (Beyonce), The Navy (Rihanna), Barbies (Nicki Minaj) and they're all beast behind a key board. If you tweet that you thought Rihanna was a little pitchy during a performance, you better get ready because the Navy is coming. For the next 4 hours, stans will drag you on social media. I know that artists can't control this but I can't help but feel that these stans affect how they artists treat each other.
It's crazy how much the music game has changed in the last 10 years. It's no longer about making good music, it's about throwing shade to prove you are the best. Newbies no longer have respect for the legends. Missy and Timbaland dropped some real truth that will unfortunately go over the head of these newbies. I look forward to where black music is going but I can't help but be believe that unity in black music will continue to look bleak.
BTW, Happy Black History Month! Stay tuned because for the rest of the month I will be dedicating a post to Black History Month.
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