I really wasn’t sure I was gonna write this until about 3 hrs ago, so I apologize if it’s half-assed. I took a break last week, but I hope you enjoyed my reboot of Three’s Company. In the meantime, there’s not a lot of happy stuff going on these days, so I just haven’t really been compelled to write this post. Still, as they say, the show must go on!
A few weeks ago, I told you that Susan Heyward had been cast as Deena Pilgrim in Sony’s Powers series. Well, this week it was announced that District 9‘s Sharlto Copley will star as Detective Christian Walker in the series. Not who I would’ve chosen. The problem with this is that he doesn’t seem to have the build that Walker has in the comic, but clearly they’re going in another direction. It was also announced that Ensign Ro, Michelle Forbes, would be playing Retro Girl. I don’t have the Playstation Network, so I’ll probably never see this show unless it hits Netflix or something. In any case, it’s being made, so I’m sure that makes someone out there happy.
The honeymoon is over for Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey, as Cannon confirmed that the couple has separated. Apparently, it can be traced back to a radio interview where Cannon was asked to admit 5 celebrities that he’d slept with. Well, that list included Kim Kardashian, which was a sticking point for Mariah. He’ll be OK, though, as they’re already discussing the division of property. He’ll be crying all the way to the bank!
Kevin Sorbo said some crazy stuff about the people of Ferguson, MO. Oh, what’s going on in Ferguson? We’re not getting into that here. Go read a news site or something! Let’s just say that the killing of an unarmed Black teen has sparked protests in the town that have been going on for over a week. Well, the former star of syndicated Saturday fare Hercules: The Legendary Journeys & Andromeda called the people “animals” and said:
“Ferguson riots have very little to do with the shooting of the young man. It is an excuse to be the losers these animals truly are. It is a tipping point to frustration built up over years of not trying, but blaming everyone else, The Man, for their failures. It’s always someone else’s fault when you give up. Hopefully this is a reminder to the African Americans ( I always thought we just Americans. Oh, well.) that their President the voted in has only made things worse for them, not better.”
Wow, Hercules! What would Iolaus say? I guess he won’t be winning an NAACP Spirit Award anytime soon…
Oh, the Ice Bucket Challenge. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past 2 weeks, folks have been filming themselves being doused with ice water in an effort to spread awareness about ALS, AKA Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The trick is that you accept the challenge, and then you challenge three other people to do it. They have 24 hrs to comply or else they have to donate $100 to ALS research. I stirred up a mini controversy on Facebook, as I said “The Ice Bucket Challenge is the whitest thing since the invention of brunch.” Some folks tried to say “Oprah did it!”, like that’s supposed to mean something to me. I’m not sure if it’s because Black folks are preoccupied with the Ferguson stuff, or if we would’ve ignored it anyway, but if you look at the videos, it’s a predominantly White thing. I’ve got a friend who posted her office doing the challenge, and the black dude (there was only one) conspicuously didn’t participate. It’s almost to the point where I’m wondering if I missed something in last month’s newsletter telling us not to participate. Oh, you guys didn’t know there’s a Black Newsletter? Anyway, my pal Howie Decker ended up nominating me, and I would’ve complied, but I was out of town for the 24 hr window. So, I gave the money. I did my part. It’s a good cause that’s raised a lot of money, so it should be commended for that. I’ve definitely enjoyed everyone’s videos who accepted the challenge, and you’re all good sports. This might make me a dick, however, but I’m kinda ready for it to be over now.
Last night, it was announced that Grant, Kari, and Tori would be leaving Mythbusters. Ya know, I think I’ve only watched, maybe, 2 episodes of that show in my entire life. However, anyone who went near a copy of Maxim or FHM in the early ’00s knows who Kari Byron is. She was like a real life Debbe Dunning. Well, Debbe’s real, but she played the Tool Girl on Home…ya know what, let’s just said that joke didn’t land. In any case, I know Kari will be missed. I don’t know about those other dudes.
This week saw the 25th anniversary of Saved by the Bell. My God, I feel so old. I remember where I was that very day. In fact, it first aired on a Friday night, during one of those Saturday morning preview shows that networks used to have. And I remember thinking “This ain’t gonna last”. It’s not like I had any industry knowledge to go on at that point. I was just a kid who wanted his cartoons, and I knew that this was 30 minutes that could have gone to ALF Tales or something. Anyway, I watched it, and it was OK. Then I kept watching it. And then I fell in love with it and The Guys Next Door and everything that Peter Engel later produced. Seriously, there’s a reason there are TNBC and Saved By The Bell tags in the sidebar! Sure, these shows gave a REALLY false impression of what high school was going to be like, but I feel like I grew up with Zack and the gang. When they worked for Mr. Carosi, I worked at the beach club, too. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s what happens when you’re at an impressionable age. I know a lot of my contemporaries hated the show, but I’m not in that camp. Give me a SBTB rerun any day (except the one where Slater’s lizard dies. I hate that episode). It almost had the West Week Ever, but not quite. We’ll get to that in a bit.
A few weeks back, I had the honor of being invited back to The Classick Team-Up, over on the Cold Slither Podcast Network. I’m actually the first 2-time guest, which is pretty awesome, and Classick and I had a great time talking comics, movies, and more. You can check it out here.
In Case You Missed It Last Week
Reboot That Bitch: Three’s Company
This is going to be kinda controversial, but that’s the world we live in these days. Ya know who had the West Week Ever? Taylor Swift, and let me tell you why. All ears and eyes were on Taylor this week, as she released the video for her new song, “Shake It Off”. Written by my musical spirit animal, Max Martin, the song is a departure for Swift, as it’s her first, real pop song. Sure, she’s had crossover hits in the past, and it could be argued that “I Knew You Were Trouble” was her first real foray into pop, but she’s considering this her pop Coming Out. It’s the first single from her next album, 1989, which is supposed to be an 80s-inspired pop album. Those were the magic words right there. I am ALL ABOUT that! Still, you can’t have something without some controversy. The video involves Taylor parodying different dance styles, and the joke is that she’s bad at all of them. Ballet? Bad at it. Cheerleading? Bad at it. And then there’s the twerking scene. No, Taylor doesn’t try to twerk, but she’s got some black ladies in the background doing it for her. And people have said that she’s supporting negative black stereotypes by doing this. The funny thing, though, is that the people saying this have either never seen the video, or they just don’t get the joke. Take a look at it here:
Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj released her new video for “Anaconda” this week, and you can check it out here (but NOT if you’re at work!):
So, tell me – who did more to perpetuate negative black stereotypes this week? Yeah. So, leave Taylor alone, and brace yourselves as she takes over the pop world. It was only a matter of time, and now that she seems to be done with country, there’s nothing we can do to stop her. This is why Taylor Swift had the West Week Ever.
I was trying to find a way to say this on Twitter, but haven’t yet. But basically it’s like this:
Anaconda reminds me of something I would have taped on VHS and used for “material” before the advent of the internet.
Hmm maybe I’ll tweet that now.
Nothing controversial here
Man! Now I feel bad, if someone had nominated me when I was out of town and couldn’t do the video I’d have been like “no way I’m shellin’ out a hundy for that”, mainly because I’m broke as sh*t. I’m glad it has raised so much money, because I’m of the thought that “awareness” ain’t curing diseases. I praise you for doing that, what you did is much greater than all of us who made asses of ourselves on video.
Great post as always, I admire your “the show must go on” attitude, as we’ve discussed other places. It ain’t easy!
Nice to see a reasonable discussion about the “Ice Bucket Challenge.” I had more typed out here, but I think I’ll leave it at that lest I offend someone for having an opinion.
@Vincent – I totally know what you mean, and I’m sure a lot of young boys banked that video even with the Internet at their disposal.
@Tim – so, either you agree with everything I said or you’re disappointed that I didn’t say more :-p
@Howie – Don’t feel too bad. They never said it had to be a one-time donation…did they? Anyway, I’m broke, too, so I’m breaking it up into installments. They’ll get their blood money!
@CT – I’d love to know your thoughts on the whole thing. You’ll have to FB message me about it!
Earl Sweatshirt even said he didn’t see the video when he said that about Taylor. I cannot wait for this new album.
Where’s the controversy?!?!?! I see nothing controversial here. Just plain ole common sense.
Thanks for the work video warning!
Just add Sorbo to the likes of M.Gibson, C.Eastwood, C.Norris, S. Sheppard, E. Hasselback and sometimes T.Cruise as actors that stick their foot in their mouths when they comment on subjects that they or their media team have not researched. Also missed your column last week, in that reboot glad you didnt make one of the girls black just to be PC or cater to a wider fan base.
Just remember one thing if a TV show or Movie is done well we (african americans) will watch and support it but white america will shy away from entertainment where we are the stars. I know there are exceptions. Once again thanks for your writings through your site I have found NOC, Bad Azz Mofo, Code switch NPR and the musem of uncut funk just to name a few.I am a southern black man and my philosphy on life mimics the brother that was in jail in Harold and Kumar go to white Castle. I am 47 now and have always been interested in pop culture although being a auto tech I always liked cars and grew up working on them. You know how often we are seen in Pop culture now imagine 1/4 of that is our part in motorsports, design and repair of cars and less than that down south.
@Mike – Yeah, Earl was mainly the guy I was talking about, but I saw a few others online with the same sentiment. I’m also really looking forward to that album!
@Engineernerd – Well, *I* thought it was controversial, lol. Glad to know I didn’t ruffle anyone’s feathers. And I always try to be conscious of the work crowd, so you don’t have to worry about any surprises over here.
@Darrell – thanks so much for the comments and for reading the site. I know a lot of these guys from Twitter, so I kinda make them read my stuff by tweeting links to it all the time. It really means a lot to know that I’ve got a reader who wasn’t forced to read my stuff!
Yeah, Sorbo really surprised me, but you’re right in that he’s just another in a long line of Hollywood guys to stick his foot in his mouth. He’s already backpedaling, but it’s not like we were really watching his shows or movies anyway. Funny you mentioned race-blind casting for the Three’s Company reboot; ya know, it never really even occurred to me. I just felt like “This show needs two attractive white girls”, and took it from there. If they remade it, they’d certainly go the PC route, but that’s not always the best decision.
My family’s from Alabama, and a lot of my mom’s cousins were into motorsports, so I definitely feel where you’re coming from. Anyway, I’m writing a book here, but thanks again for reading and come back next week!