Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Earth Raps Back
Today is Earth Day, and since environmental friendliness and conservation is a big part of it, why not a rap song about it? Also, who put Quincy Jones up to this?
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Richard Pryor on Race, Education and Success
"I live in racist America and I'm uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it.You can't do much better than that."
- Richard Pryor
- Richard Pryor
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Melissa Harris-Perry and Co. Speak on "Scandal"
So I caught the Melissa Harris-Perry show last week on MSNBC and really enjoyed many of the segments that were featured. She and her panelists spoke on voter disfranchisement in North Carolina, the women's NCAA Tournament, and the use of language in regards to the immigration debate here in the U.S, among other things.
It was the discussion on the ABC hit show "Scandal" that really caught my attention. Not so much that I'm a regular viewer (I haven't watched "Scandal" in more than a year) but the makeup of MHP's panel was striking in that it was entirely made up of black women. The panel consisted of Janet Mock, Andrea Plaid, Heather McGhee, and Joy-Ann Reid. In more than 20 years of watching TV on a fairly regular basis, I don't ever recall seeing a panel featuring just black women on a major news network. Hat tip to Melissa Harris-Perry and MSNBC.
It was the discussion on the ABC hit show "Scandal" that really caught my attention. Not so much that I'm a regular viewer (I haven't watched "Scandal" in more than a year) but the makeup of MHP's panel was striking in that it was entirely made up of black women. The panel consisted of Janet Mock, Andrea Plaid, Heather McGhee, and Joy-Ann Reid. In more than 20 years of watching TV on a fairly regular basis, I don't ever recall seeing a panel featuring just black women on a major news network. Hat tip to Melissa Harris-Perry and MSNBC.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Remembering Roger Ebert
Last week the world -- not just the film world -- lost an icon in Roger Ebert.
Though Ebert's official title was that of film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, he was much more than that to the movie going American public. "Two thumbs up" was a phrase that originated with Ebert and his former film critic Gene Siskel, that became synonymous with a positive review of a new film. How esteemed was Roger Ebert in the movie industry? He's the only film critic with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
When it came to race and the social dynamics of the Hollywood studio system, Ebert didn't shy away from those subjects either. During the 1990s, two of his choices for movie of the year centered around protagonists of color: "Malcolm X" in 1992 and "Hoop Dreams" in 1994. Lauren Williams of The Root does an excellent job of compiling Ebert's reviews on some well known black films at the time. Ebert goes beyond the characters and main story of the films and asks larger hard hitting questions about the impact of these films within cinema.
Though Ebert's official title was that of film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, he was much more than that to the movie going American public. "Two thumbs up" was a phrase that originated with Ebert and his former film critic Gene Siskel, that became synonymous with a positive review of a new film. How esteemed was Roger Ebert in the movie industry? He's the only film critic with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
When it came to race and the social dynamics of the Hollywood studio system, Ebert didn't shy away from those subjects either. During the 1990s, two of his choices for movie of the year centered around protagonists of color: "Malcolm X" in 1992 and "Hoop Dreams" in 1994. Lauren Williams of The Root does an excellent job of compiling Ebert's reviews on some well known black films at the time. Ebert goes beyond the characters and main story of the films and asks larger hard hitting questions about the impact of these films within cinema.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King and His Enduring Legacy 45 Years Later
April 4th, 1968, is a day that many people of an older generation will never forget. Neither should any of us.
For that was the day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis,Tennessee. Following his assassination, President Lyndon Johnson announced a day of mourning for the man who was instrumental in the struggle for racial equality in the United States. In the aftermath of King's death, there was grief, despair, anger, rage, and sadly, riots. Despite this however, King's legacy in the 45 years proceeding his death, has only become more emblazoned in our national consciousness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)