Happy New Year.

As we fastly approach 2010, let us pray that this year is a much better year for Black men.

2009 seems to be the year of "hate the black man." Although we inaugurated Obama sans gunshots, Chris, Tiger, Lil Wayne and countless others felt the scourge of America's negative press.

Here's a little list

1. Chris Brown

one word: Rihanna.

2. Tiger Woods

too many hoes.

3. Kanye West

too much henny.

4. Lil Wayne

ex-cons get no love from the police.

5. Kat Williams

too many arrests.

6. Swizz Beatz

you got alicia and she got you, but your ex's twitter got yo ass.

7. DMX

too many arrests part 2.

8. Steve McNair

RIP. hoes can be crazy.

9. Chris Henry

RIP. fiances can be crazy.

10. Teddy Riley

beating your daughter with a Rock Band guitar and twitter just don't go together.

Let's do better in 2010. And let's hope that the press can find something better to talk about.

thank you and goodnight.

and happy new year.

Nintendo DS, Music Updates

Good evening,

My first order of business tonight is an expression of concern about an advertising campaign by Nintendo.



Their hand-held game console Nintendo DS is one that I find rather familiar, one that I am used to seeing my peers use and abuse during their time of leisure. However, their recent advertisements have left me a bit confused. I remember not long ago when Beyoncé (age 27) and Liv Tyler (age 32 but a passable under-30) first emerged on my television screen playing those silly games on their Nintendo DS's. The ads painted a picture of someone who, although older, still enjoyed playing video games and now that they were slightly more sophisticated, and it wasn't imposing on any career that they had attained, it was perfectly acceptable to play a little video game on their down time. Now in 2009, these commercials are back, except now with everyday women playing these games, almost painting the followup to the previous message: "successful, famous women can do it and now so can you!" On the other hand, I find that encouraging people and targeting women in particular to play video games at an age well past childhood is a bit disturbing. Our culture, heavily plagued by pointless iPhone applications and plenty of websites (FML, textsfromlastnight, and countless blogs) made to pass the idle time one spends at their work or home desk in front of a computer, is now taking it a step further and telling women, who should either be at work advancing their career, raising their family, studying their craft or a combination of all three, that they should throw all of that aside and instead of reading a book or doing something a bit more productive, that they should choose to play a video game instead. Now they make these video games out to be rather stimulating in the proper sense, using questions and puzzles I remember from all sorts of standardized testing throughout my childhood, and that seems to make it more acceptable. But I am not fooled. I find it repulsive and dangerous to target the core of the next generation of potential leaders and the backbone of the up-and-coming society, the women, with such foolishness.

On to lighter topics:

Mistah F.A.B.'s recent single "Hit Me On Twitter" is a song I am upset to like. The hook of the song, however, is rather infectious and one that easily gets stuck in ones head for hours. See for yourself:

However upset I am that Twitter has a song, and a hip hop song no less, goes out of the window when the catchy "I follow you, you follow me" commences. I disappoint even myself. But everyone is entitled to a guilty pleasure or two.

Panic! Update:

Panic! at the Disco's new single I posted during the premiere finally has a video and I must say I am pleased. For once, the group isn't performing all of the theatrics and are very cool and collected. Plus they know how to wear a suit. But then again who are we kidding, Panic! can do no wrong. Check it out:

Panic! at the Disco - New Perspective



In brief: Nintendo DS's women targeted campaign earns my strong disapproval, however Mistah F.A.B.'s new single "Hit Me On Twitter" and Panic! at the Disco's new video for their single New Perspective both earn my approval.

thank you and goodnight.

Avant Throwbacks.

Good Evening,

Avant has blessed us all with many a jam. Here are a few of my favorites:


Dont Take Your Love Away - 2004



My First Love feat. Keke Wyatt - 2000



Makin' Good Love - 2005



Separated - 2000



Quality. Unfortunately they all started to sound alike. Good only lasts so long. Innovation is essential.

In brief: I nostalgically approve.

thank you and goodnight.

Original and Pre-Plastic Surgery Destiny's Child, Playwrights Rep

Good morning,

First off, I apologize for the brief hiatus. Finals week during Summer Session is no joke.

Second, I would like to congratulate the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep for their fantastic performances. In case you missed it, their three shows were:

Dogs of the Blue Gods by Ian Fraser and directed by Christopher Windom
Life Science by Anna Ziegler and directed by Michael Perlman
Chicken Grease is Nasty Business! by Michael Miller and directed by Lowry Marshall

If you did not see these shows, you missed out. The genres ranged widely with very different catharses for each show. However each of these shows may have had you leave the theatre crying, for different reasons of course. Dogs of the Blue Gods may have had you crying for the traditional reason: sadness. Life Science may have had you crying for more of a "chick flick" reason: romance. Chicken Grease is Nasty Business! may have had you crying for the greatest reason: laughter. The actors were all phenomenal and included an undergraduate and recent graduates from Brown and Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium MFA students and graduates. New fresh theatre is always refreshing to see.

In other news, the 1997 audition tape of the original Destiny's Child - sans plastic surgery and all - has surfaced. What is particularly surprising about the video is that aside from the usual Beyonce lead and Kelly backup verse, there is a verse/bridge sung by LaTavia Robinson. LaToya Luckett does not have a solo.




Interesting how the times can change so many things.

thank you and goodnight.

Poor Britney.

Good morning.

Breaking story tonight/this morning folks. It seems that Britney Spears has fallen to a new low in her career. The following is how I came to this conclusion:

I was browsing facebook at this unGodly hour in the morning and discovered that six of my friends had become friends of the Kohl's fan page. I became a fan simply to suggest this page to a friend I knew would appreciate it. After clicking on the link to get to the page to suggest it, I was stunned, confused and felt great pity as I saw Britney Spears, the ultimate pop princess of my generation, posing for Candies shoes in a Kohl's advertisement. What was worse was that the endorsement was exclusive to Kohl's.


After seeing this atrocity, I began to think of all the better endorsements she may have favored but had been denied, or simply wasn't smart enough to consider, perhaps wishing to stay closer to what she felt was her true fanbase, middle(class) America. She couldn't attain an endorsement from Macy's? How about H&M? Nordstrom? No. She was stuck at Kohl's, the little department store that couldn't. Don't get me wrong, I am one who loves the deals and clothes at Kohl's, and too am a member of the middle class, towards the lower end of course. However, even I know what's what. A pop star of Britney's stature should be doing much more higher end endorsements and the ads for Kohl's should be no name models trying to pay the bills off of commercial modeling. Thus, her presence in such an ad and endorsement is simply sad.

In brief: I pity and disapprove.

thank you and goodnight.

90's Dance Throwbacks

Good evening.

As of late, I have been on a bit of a 90's black female R&B music binge. I would like to share with you some of the tracks I've been listening to and singing in Steinert Practice Rooms.

Cece Peniston - Finally



Crystal Waters - 100% Pure Love

thank you and goodnight.


These are just a few of the jams that I wish would return to prominence in one form or another, but all in good taste. Maybe some a cappella or a remake from my laptop is order.

In brief: A bit of 90's nostalgia. I approve.

Ellen DeGeneres and CoverGirl

Good evening,

When one thinks of CoverGirl, one thinks of youth, America's Next Top Model, and maybe Queen Latifah. One does not think of old women. Ellen DeGeneres is also not what you think of. A woman over 35 with a smokey eye is just disgusting. She needs to take her ass to Revlon or Avon. CoverGirl, what the hell were you thinking?

In brief: I strongly disapprove.

thank you and goodnight.