#PebblesTriedIt

Hey everybody!!! This past Monday VH1 premiered Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story and it broke network records with 4.5 million viewers.  If you read my last post you know that I was excited about this movie.  But I had no idea how much tea this movie was going to spill. 

I had watched their Behind the Music some years ago so I know that TLC was dragged through the music business.  However, it is one thing to have them talk about their struggles but it's another thing to have it portrayed in a movie.  We were shown in 2.5 hours that TLC most definitely climbed mountains while trying to rise to musical greatness. They overcame cheating boyfriends, abortions, life threatening diseases, and bankruptcy.  When I was listening to "Creep", "Waterfalls", and "What about your Friends?" I had no idea these sistas were barely holding it together.  But what really gets me is their shady manager, Pebbles.  Pebbles makes Joe Jackson look like a Disney princess.  She was ruthless.

 

The first side eye that Ms. Pebbles gets is when she told the girls they would get a $25 stipend a week.  Now I know that this was 1990 but what exactly were you getting with $25 dollars a week? Scrunchies?! Then her inner Joe Jackson came out when she was tripping about Chilli talking to Dallas Austin and then threw her out the group. I almost thought she was jealous but then I realized that she was protecting her investment because these girls were a product to her.   Every time these girls asked about their money (which they were entitled to) she would start throwing them these out of the world excuses.  These girls had #1 hits and selling millions of albums but didn't have anything to show for it but the scrunchies they were buying with their $25 stipend. 

Now let's talk about where Pebbles got bold.  Pebbles informs TLC they have a platinum selling album and instead of presenting them with fat checks she instead presents them with Rav 4s from a used car dealership.  Like, seriously?! The girls later find out that these cars was brought with their own money.  But Fruity Pebbles doesn't stop there.  T-Boz collapses at one of their shows and she is rushed to the hospital.  This is where Chilli and Left-Eye find out that T-Boz has sickle cell disease.  Instead of Pebbles showing a little compassion, she is concerned about the money that will be lost from cancelled shows.  That was her inner Ike Turner. 

The girls get fed up with being broke and go to their lawyer.  And just when you thought Fruity Pebbles couldn't be any worse, you find out that the lawyer that is representing TLC is actually Pebbles' lawyer too.  At first the lawyer tells them that he can't even talk to them about their business without Pebbles' permission.  But I guess he feels sorry for them and proceeds to school them about their "standard contract".  Money from their albums is going back to the label to pay for studio time, rehearsal time, travel, gifts, LA Reid's label, Pebbles,  Pebbles' label and apparently those raggedy Rav 4s.  TLC decides that Fruity Pebbles has to go but, unfortunately, will have to pay a heavy fee  just to keep their name (apparently they paid a million dollars per letter). 

According to Rolling Stone, Pebbles' kids were none too happy with this portrayal of their mother.  Well, I bet TLC wasn't too happy having to file for bankruptcy.  If you didn't learn anything from this movie, you better learn these managers are not your friends.  Take your contract to a lawyer (not your manager's lawyer) to make sure every thing is on the up and up. 

What are your views on the portrayal of Pebbles?

#ForeverTLC

Hey everybody!!! Next Monday (October 21) VH1 will be premiering Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story.  Ever since I heard about this bio movie I have been excited.  Why, you ask?  Not only are they the best selling girl group but they were my introduction to R&B and hip hop.  I was four the first time I heard Baby, Baby, Baby.  It was on BET's Video Soul hosted by Donnie Simpson.  I had no idea what I was singing about but I was walking around the house singing the lyrics nonstop.  I still can't believe that my mom thought it was a good idea to buy this album for a preschooler. 

Yall remember those cassette tapes!!

I can remember playing this tape over and over again.  I played it so much that the words on the cassette faded.  I fondly remember listening to What About Your Friends, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, and Hat to the Back.  I would make up dance routines to every song on that album and sing to the top of my voice.  My mom stayed yelling from the front of the house for me to shut up.  This album is so nostalgic for me. 

TLC were my first favorite artists.  What amazed me the most was how unique each girl was.  Unlike other girl groups, TLC was not about having all the attention on one girl while the others held it down in the background.  When you watched a video, you got to see a glimpse of each girl's personality.  And even though some of their songs were very adult, they were still good role models to young folks.  They didn't dress overly provocative and they advocated safe sex (Left-Eye actually wore a condom as an eye patch).

As stated before not every song was about bumping and grinding.  They sang about real issues.  Everybody remembers their smash hit Waterfalls.  The song was about making good choices and not taking unnecessary risks.  They were not gimmicky but genuinely talented.  They didn't have to prove they were grown women by bearing all their flesh or pulling crazy stunts at award shows.  They let their music do the talking.  I long for the days of real grown women in the music business. 

TLC most definitely has had their bumps in the road: bankruptcy, a life threatening disease, burning houses, and a tragic death. But they have shown through it all that they are classy and strong as iron.  I love these ladies and I'm amped to see this bio pic.  I hope that Keke Palmer, Drew Sidora, and Lil' Mama do these ladies justice because they deserve it.

Will you be tuning in? What is your favorite TLC song?

#ASitDownWithKanye

Hey everybody!!! You may already know about the famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) interview Jimmy Kimmel had with Kanye West.  The interview took place after Kanye threw an all-caps fit on Twitter because Kimmel mocked an interview he [Kanye] did with BBC.  The two sat down and talked out their beef.  What followed was an interesting interview.  Kanye goes on a 40 minute rant about everything.  It was all over the place and exhausting. 

I knew I wanted to write about it, I just didn't know what angle to attack it.  I had to even go back and watch the interview to really get a hold of it.  Then I had an intense debate with my work BFF about the interview.  I even took mental notes of different parts of the interview.  I don't think I have ever had to think that hard about the context of a post before I actually started typing.  So with all that said I will try my best to convey my opinion on what historians will be calling the most famous late night interview: A Sit Down with Kanye

What I Agreed With
Kanye discussed how celebrities are in the zoo and how their realities are often made fun of by others.  As I stated before, this all started because Jimmy mocked Kanye in an earlier episode.  Jimmy even admitted that sometimes he doesn't think about how his comedy skits might effect celebrities' feelings.  I can't imagine my life constantly being under a microscope and then having it mock in a late night sketch.  Your every word is dissected and then some comedian basically calls you stupid for it.  Celebrities have a constant battle: money and fame versus no longer having a private life.  It explains why a lot of them go crazy.  Would you be able to keep your sanity?  But then Jimmy spitted some truth when he told Kanye that some of his negative reviews are because of his own actions.  That at times, he comes off as a jerk.  You can't act like a douche bag and then get mad when others call you a douche bag. 

Kanye said that he is not a politician and so he doesn't do publicity stunts.  Now I could be dead wrong here but I believe him when he says this.  When Kanye announced on live television that President Bush didn't care about black people, that was not a cheap shot for attention.  When Kanye would show out at awards shows when he didn't win, that was all him.  When Mr. West interrupted Taylor Swift to say that Beyonce had the best video of all times, he wasn't doing that for album sales.  I believe that it is just his personality.  Now it ain't cute but that is just who he is as a human being. 

Where the Side Eye Begins
If I hear Kanye call himself a creative genius one more time I will literally burn every Kanye CD I have. Now this is what caused the debate between my work BFF and I.  She believes that he is a tortured soul and I believe that he is his own hype man.  Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash have all been considered musical geniuses.  Not one time did any of these artists say it themselves but let others say it for them.  For some reason Kanye believes that no one respects his talents and so he has to continuely tell us how great he is.  The whole reason College Dropout was so successful was because it was so different from everything else that was on the scene.  On his first album and every album since, he has proved that he is a contender in the rap game and probably any other industry.  Why he thinks he still  has to prove that puzzles me. 

Where the Side Eye Completes
Kanye says that when people think of fashion they think of him.  I will give it to him that he has his own swag and even has the potential to do great things in fashion.  But he needs to recant that last statement. 

When he said that Kim Kardashian deserved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame I was wondering how Jimmy was able to keep a straight face.  The only thing that Kim Kardashian has proven is that you can have absolutely no real talent and stay relevant for 5 plus years.  You have TV legends and Academy Award winners who share a spot on the famous walk.  These are people that broke down barriers and have received all types of accolades in the entertainment industry.  What has Kim accomplished other than having a cameo in a Tyler Perry movie and a clothing line in Sears?  Kanye can be proud of his baby mama all day long but a star she is not. 

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this interview but maybe I never will.  If it did anything it started some good office conversation. 

Have you seen it?  What are your thoughts?

#IsCatfishForReal?

Hey everybody!!! Last night I watched Catfish for the first time in a year.  This has to be the most absurd reality show on television.  In 2013 with access to Google, Skype, and Facetime, it is hard for me to believe there is even a need for this show.  Like seriously, how are people still getting tricked in online relationships?

This past week we met Keyonna (spell check).  Homegirl thinks she online dating Bow Wow.  If you think you read that last line wrong, you didn't.  She thought she was talking to Bow Wow aka Lil Bow Wow aka Shad Moss aka Mr. 106 & Park. And apparently "Bow Wow" was sending homegirl money; $10,000 to be exact.  Then when they finally meet "Bow Wow" it is some girl named Dee Pimping that looks like a boy but not Mr. Moss.  And Dee didn't have NO remorse about what she did.  She at ease talking about how she turns out straight girls.  Nev and his personal camera man start asking her how she is able to send Keyonna all this money.  Dee tells them that she borrows the money from family and friends.  If "family and friends" means drug customers than yea, okay I believe her (or him).  Catfish and MTV get a huge side eye for this episode and this show as a whole.

I think I have blogged about this before but what is the point of Catfish?  Why does Nev have a job googling other people's love interests?  Let's break this down: Person A talks to Person B over the internet for 2 or more years.  Person A only gets 2 photos of Person B within that 2 years that obviously look like they were stolen from a professional website.  Person B will not Skype or facetime with Person A.  Nev talks to Person B for 10 minutes and gets them to meet Person A. Stevie Wonder could see something ain't right. 

I cannot take Catfish seriously.  And I will not take anybody seriously that makes the decision to go on that show.  If you fall for someone you have only texted (Facebook chat at the most) then you deserve that " swimsuit model"  to really be a man who is living in his mom's basement.  Let's not be stupid, people.  Do your research before you let your heart get involved.  If after talking to someone for a month they refuse to meet you in a public place, this should ring all the alarms.    It's not rocket science, it is simply common sense.

What are your feelings about Catfish?

#LawAndOrderTooSoon?

Hey everybody!!! Last week Law & Order:SVU premiered their third episode of the 15th season.  Even before it premiered there was some buzz around it (there are currently over 200 comments on this episode on Hulu.com).  As you may know, the Law & Order series takes from real news headlines.  Well, this season they have chosen two of this year's biggest cases: Paul Deen's N-Word Mishap and the George Zimmerman Trial. 



Jolene aka Paula Deen played by Cybill Shepherd
Source: atlantablackstar.com

I'm not surprised they based an episode around these cases.  I'm more surprise they chose to do it so soon and all in one episode.  They added more fuel to this controversial fire by adding New York's unpopular "Stop and Frisk" law, which allows law enforcement to stop people at random on the street and frisk them if they think they might be a potential criminal (Majority of the people stopped are black or brown males).  Yea, the writers were doing the most.  

Cybill Shepherd plays Jolene (Paula Deen) who shoots a black kid (Trayvon Martin) who she thinks is going to rape her because there is a black serial rapist on the loose.  Come to find out, she shoots the wrong black guy and now Jolene is on trial.  Like the real life case, the question is was it self-defense or some white lady shooting black people because she's really a racist and assumes all black men are trying to harm her?  SPOILER ALERT (was this disclaimer really needed?): Jolene is found not guilty. 

Like the original trial,  I felt my blood boiling.  I have written prior posts about my feelings for the George Zimmerman trial so it is no surprise I felt my inner Malcolm X coming through.  Every emotion I had during that trial came rushing back.  But one thing that L&O added was this serial rape case.  In the George Zimmerman situation, there was no ongoing investigation that made Zimmerman feel he should approach Trayvon.  But in this situation, there is a black rapist on the loose.  Was Jolene really wrong for making this assumption?  Now do not get me wrong.  I do not agree with shooting people because you think they are criminals.  But as a woman walking by yourself to your home, how do you not live in fear when you know there is a serial rapist on the run?  Also, Jolene felt she was being followed and so felt it necessary to defend herself like Trayvon Martin did with Zimmerman.  But unlike Trayvon, Jolene was painted as a racist for defending herself.  There are a lot of angles to this episode which make claiming self-defense even more complex. 

I'm not sure if Law & Order tackled these two cases too soon or not but what it did do was make you realize how tricky race is.  They even made Fin (Ice-T's character) admit that protection could be miscued with racism. How do you make a prompt decision to protect yourself but not come off as if you are targeting someone because of their race? There has been times I have been out running and I see two dudes walking on the sidewalk.  Do I assume they are no threat to me or do I cross the street at the risk of stereotyping? Decisions, decisions. 

Even with my synopsis I recommend you watch this episode.  You see that race isn't always black and white (sorry for the corny last line).

#SNLSeason39Recap

Hey everybody!!! I deeply apologize for leaving you guys so long without a post.  I am in the midst of moving so things have been crazy for the last month. This past Saturday was the season premiere of  Saturday Night Live and even with all the craziness going on in my life,  I wanted to do a recap.  About a month ago, I wrote about my disappointment with the show's lack of diversity.  Unfortunately, SNL has kept up their track record.  For season 39 they added six new cast members (five males and one female) and they were all white.  In 2013, it is unthinkable that a legendary show like SNL is the least diverse program on television and has been for most of its almost 40 year run. So I guess Keenan Thompson will have to continue to put on a dress to play every black woman in pop culture.  But, I digress. 



Source: en.wikipedia.org

Let's start with the opening sketch.  It was about Obamacare and how complicated it is.  This sketch was dead on because I, like most Americans, am very confused about the Affordable Care Act and  clueless about what is going to happen on October 1.  I have to add that Jay Pharaoh does an excellent Obama impersonation.  Even though SNL takes a lot shots at conservatives, it was nice to see them poke fun at President Obama and his policies. 

Tina Fey hosted the show and she gets two snaps and a twirl from me.  During her opening monologue she introduced the new vanilla cast members and had them do a crazy dance number since they are newbies.  I was not a regular watcher of SNL during the Fey years but I can see why she is a beloved alum of SNL.  She didn't have any well known characters but her comedy timing is perfect.  She always says the right line at the right time which leads me to some of my fav sketches of the season premiere:

GIRLS Parody Somewhere between early September and now, I fell in love with GIRLS.  I know there is a lot of criticism about the show but I am still a fan of it and SNL's parody had tears in my eyes from laughing.  Tina played the new "Girl" Alberta and had me cracking up.  She basically made all the Girls' problems seem petty to her third world problems.  And new cast member Noel Wells did an awesome Lena Dunham impersonation.  Can't wait to see future parodies!

New Cast Member or Arcade Fire?  Not only do I notice that SNL has no color but Lorne Michaels (creator and executive producer) does too.  During this sketch Tina had to guess who were new cast members and who were members of the band Arcade Fire.  Out of nowhere Lorne Michaels comes out and tries to help Tina guess who's who.  In the sketch, he refers to Keenan as the "black guy".  As funny as it was it just reiterated how vanilla the show really is.

 1st Used Car Commercial This sketch had me laughing out loud... literally.  Mike O'Brien (new cast member) and Tina stole the show with this piece. Mike's character is filming the first used car commercial and his wife (Tina) keeps saying all this weird, creepy stuff ("I fed my kids to a well").  As I said before, her timing is perfect.   

Former Adult Stars Selling Shoes As stupid as this sketch is, it cracks me up every time.  These two former adult stars (Cecily Strong and Vanessa Bayer) make these absurd commercials because they are trying to get free merchandise.  Basically, their brains are fried from years of drug use and it shows from their inability to put together a simple sentence.  Tina shines in this piece also by playing this crazy aggressive former adult star.  Like I had to pull out my loud obnoxious laugh for this one.

The season started on a good note and I look forward to the rest of the season to see who is going to be the new Bill Haders and Kristen Wiigs. 

Did you catch the new season?  What was your fav sketch?

#GIRLSGetsMe

Hey everybody!!! With my lack cable television, I have had to resort to other forms of entertainment.  This has lead to more reading, writing projects, and buying TV shows on DVD.  The latest series I'm watching is GIRLS.  This was the first time I bought a series on DVD and had never seen an episode. What initially fascinated me with the series was Lena Dunham.  She is the director, writer, and creator of Girls (and she is just 27). With all the hype around the show, I wanted to see for myself was it really deserving of it.

Honestly, ten minutes into the first episode I thought I was going to be selling the DVD on Amazon. In the first episode, Hannah (Lena Dunham's character) is having dinner with her parents and they drop a bomb on her: they will no longer be supporting her.   At this point, I thought that I would not be able to relate to the rest of the series.  Personally, after I started working for the housing department at my university, I was basically living on my own at 21 years old and have ever since.  So the whole "parents cutting you off" thing was foreign to me. So I had made up my mind that this show was about rich girls who complain about  their "hard" lives.  But as I kept watching I realized that I could relate to this show more than I thought.



You have more in common with these "girls" than you think
Source: sabotagetimes.com

Here are some things that made me say "Been there, done that":

Every woman has dated an Adam Does not matter if you are black, white, green, or purple, all women can relate to man problems.  Specifically, many women can relate to dating an Adam.  Adam was Hannah's friends with benefits turned boyfriend. Adam is the guy you should've never gave your number to.  Adam is the guy that texts you in the middle of the night and you immediately reply.  Adam fools you into thinking he is your true love  but in reality, he just going to break your heart.  It is something about him that keeps you coming back even though he is simply just not relationship material. 

Graduated, now what? When you are in college, your dreams are limitless.  Your eyes are wide open about your future.  Then you graduate and real life slaps you in the face and nags you about paying back your student loans.  All the plans you had for post college are now distant dreams.  More than likely you have a job you  had to take and you feel like you never have enough money.  And did I mention those pesky student loans?  Martie discusses in one episode that she feels she has done everything right, yet nothing is working out for her.  I share her feelings. You feel jaded. You work hard but no return on your investment.  Life after college is not so great, which leads me to my next point...

Some of your darkest days will be in your 20s As the last point brought out, you live your early 20s through rose colored glasses.  Then you learn adulthood is not all that fun.  You get a taste of adversity and it is bitter.  When I graduated I had the worst luck finding employment.  My first 3 post-graduate jobs  all paid minimum wage.  I very rarely ate out with friends or did any other recreational activity (because of my lack of funds).  My life sucked.  I felt myself becoming depressed and ashamed.  My self-esteem was shot because of my  inability to find a good paying job.  I felt like walls were closing in on me.  And at one point, all I wanted to do was lay in bed.  Towards the end of season 2 of Girls, Hannah has a nervous breakdown.  Her OCD returns and she lets a junkie give her a hideous hair cut.  Yep, she definitely has a breakdown.  As I watched her slowly fall into a deep dark hole I had a flashback to that time I was unemployed and depressed and could understand every emotion she was feeling.  I, fortunately, never let a junkie give me a hair cut but I can certainly understand being ready to throw in the towel and say "forget it."

Girls gets me.  As a writer, I share Hannah's aspirations for wanting to be this generation's next big thing in writing.  No, I don't live in a big city nor do I stay in a cute studio apartment but I can relate to the not-so-awesome early years of adulthood.  With that said, I am so amped for season 3!

Have you watched Girls? If so, what did you think of it?

Why are you not watching this show??
Source: www.pitchfork.com