ABC's Risk on Blackish Appears to be Paying Off

www.televisionseries.org

When I first heard about the premise of the show "Blackish," I had a lukewarm feeling. It wasn't that the show would be featuring a black family, or that it was airing on a channel that I admittedly did not watch often, but that race would be such a central part of the show.

For as much some in 2014 like to pretend that we are a post-racial society, film and media would not indicate as much. Black writers, directors and producers are still an underrepresented entity behind the lens, just as black actors and actresses are in front of it. Many TV shows and programs might deal with race and ethnicity in subtle and nuanced ways, but never really head on. "Blackish" was staking new ground on that territory.

After watching the first episode a bout a week before it's network premiere, I was a member of the wait-and-see camp. In the 4 following episodes, I think the series has really come into its own.

Where I think the show excels is not only bringing a humorous tilt to things such as mastering the head nod, but also resolutions to problems seen through the perspective of the protagonist Andre (played by Anthony Anderson). Last week's episode about spanking was pretty funny as was the previous episode where Andre tries to find some black friends for his unpopular son. Definitely like Tracee Ellis-Ross as Rainbow and Lawrence Fishburne practically steals the show as the cantankerous old man "Pops." I'll definitely be tuning in for the rest of the season.

Ms. Badu's Social Experiment

Erykah Badu is a well known musical artist who has toured around the world and recently went to New York to see how much money she would earn signing on the street. It did not go well.


 

Janet Jackson - We Go Deep (1998)

I remember hearing about a year ago that Janet Jackson had retired from music. Really hope this isn't the case.

Hollywood's History of Faking It

Definitely worth a look.