Monique Calls Out Tom Joyner…It’s on Like Popcorn

Tom Joyner has been making some cracks about Monique. He and his staff have been critical of her interviewing style and the fact that she hollers and screams alot during the show. Tonight she said that she has nothing but love for those that are critical of her. She said there are so few of them in television and radio that they really should not be taking swipes at each other. Joyner’s show cracks on everybody and it is all done in fun, but sometimes they go too far and Monique felt they crossed the line. Joyner is a big dog in the industry, and calling out the big dog might have some consequences.

Did We need to see Charla Nash’s Face?

 Charla Nash was the victim of a horrific accident. Last February she was mauled by a 200 lb.chimp. Over past few months she has been recuperating at a hospital in Ohio. Wednesday Oprah Winfrey interviewed her and Nash removed her veil and let the world see what the chimp had done to her. Nash made the decision and Winfrey was very compassionate while she interviewed Nash, but I still feel a little uncomfortable about this situation. One of the things the chimp stole from Nash was her eyes. So she was exposing to the world something that she has not seen. Why did we need to see her? It was not a cautionary tale that this could happen to you if you are mauled by a chimp. Most of us if not all of us will never encounter a wild chimp. So why did we invade this woman’s space? Since the show that picture is all over television and the Internet. I was talking to a friend and saying that her injuries were such that no one would make jokes about her and my friend said don’t be naïve. She said the jokes will be coming because our society jokes about everything. All of this makes the reveal a little unsettling and it leaves me wondering why did she do it?

Families of Anthony Sowell’s Victims Speak

Anthony Sowell allegedly killed 10 women and buried them in this Cleveland home. So many of the victims have been labeled drug addicts and prostitutes. Some have said that his killing spree was undetected because no one was looking for these women but that is simply not true. There was a recent gathering of the victims family members and they detailed how in some cases they had been looking for their family members for years. Some said they would put up flyers only to return the next day and find their flyers gone. These women were not throwaways. They deserved better than they got. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/11/grieving_moms_suspect_sowell_t.html

 

Why is the Media Still so Fascinated with Carrie Prejean?

Yesterday the women of The View got into a heated exchange regarding the recent Carrie Prejean visit. Whoopi Goldberg said that the ex beauty queen acted rather “bitchy.” They also discussed her Larry King Live appearance. Prejean threatened to leave the show because she said King’s questions were inappropriate. Prejean is on the talk show circuit promoting her new book, but she has also had to discuss a recently released “sex tape.” Her former boyfriend has released tapes she gave him to the media. Prejean claimed she was 17 when the tapes were made, but her boyfriend said she was 20 at the time. He also said she called him and asked him to lie about her age. Let’s just take a minute to talk about him. He is truly the scum of the earth, but he is a cautionary tale. Do not give anything to anyone that you want to stay private. It won’t and if you achieve any level of fame it will come back to haunt you. I am no fan of Prejean but I am a fan of fairness and to allow her boyfriend to cloke his own identity while releasing these tapes and photos is simply unfair.

Will Political Correctness Kill Us?

It has been a week since Nidal Hasan slaughtered 13 servicemen. Stories are now coming out that he showed a disdain toward our country. Some of his colleagues have said he often went on anti-American rants. We have learned that he was in contact with radical extremists who were involved in the 9/11 massacre. All the signs were there but nobody took action until it was too late. Yesterday Sen. McCain spoke of how we could not allow political correctness to stop us from taking action when we should. McCain actually called it an act of terrorism. McCain said “the fact is that it was an act of terror when you’re on a military base, and you are a trusted member of the military, a commissioned officer, and you kill your fellow members in the military — motivated obviously by his views of the extremist interpretation of an honorable religion.” We do not have the facts to support that this was an act of terrorism. There are plenty of questions that need to be answered and hopefully they will be answered. Hasan demonstrated enough strange behavior to have been watched and watched carefully. There were warning signs that were ignored. Hasan is not the poster child for all Muslim soldiers, and we should not paint all Muslim soldiers with a broad brush, but this soldier should have been monitored and he was not and political correctness might have been a factor, and 13 people lost their lives and in this case political correctness might have been the culprit.

 

Chris Brown Speaks to His Real Fans on BET 106 and Park

Chris Brown sat down for an interview today on 106 and Park. What is important about this interview is he sat in front of his fan base.  We have heard from middle- aged pundits that have demonized Brown. We have heard some radio personalities that have said they will never play his record again, but this is the first time he spoke in front of the group that loves him the most, young people. When he was introduced he was greeted by cheers. Young people seemingly have a shorter memory span. What he did to Rihanna was wrong, but judging from their response to him that is history.  They have seemingly moved on. He apologized to the audience in the studio and his wider audience watching the show. He says he takes responsibility for the incident, but he would have prefered if it had stayed a private matter. Sadly,  when a public figure beats up his girlfriend it can not be a private matter. Today, he is speaking to the people that matter most to his career, and hopefully the young people will hold him accountable for his actions.  He ended the interview with a promise to do the best he can and become the person that they can “love again”.

How Do I Get invited to the President’s Job Forum?

Today the president announced he will convene a jobs forum in December. This is a meeting of people with jobs, CEOs, small business owners, economists, financial experts, and representatives from labor and non-profits. They will discuss job creation. So who is missing from this esteemed conclave? People without jobs. We definitely can’t create jobs, but we can at least share our experiences and have that factored into the discussion.

Sheila Dixon’s Political future is on the line, and the Media is Obsessing Over Her Pumps

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is on trial for allegedly stealing gift cards that were supposed to go to needy citizens.  Dixon is the first female mayor of the city and she has been under investigation for the past two years. If she is convicted she would be stripped of her office and possibly face jail time. She was an early supporter of the president and he repaid that support by ignoring her when he visited the city shortly before his inauguration. Her trial started a couple of days ago and it already looks like the coverage will have a sexist slant. Last night on WBAL Channel 11 had a tease that said the mayor had “lashed out at the media”. One expected to see fireworks what we actually saw it the mayor addressing the media in a calm voice and letting them know she would not be answering questions about the trial when she was doing “mayoral business”. In this case she was being bombarded with questions after attending somber Veteran’s Day activities. The media has already shown an obsession with her clothing. This is from the Baltimore Sun “I asked DannielleKyrillos, editor at large at DailyCandy.com, for her two cents on the mayor’s courthouse fashion sense. Day 1: Dixon paired a dark pinstriped skirt suit with a matching fuchsia blouse and wrap. Day 2: a tan skirt suit with another wrap, this one a mix of colorful stripes and a print that Kyrillos described as “Indian paisley.  It’s clear that a trusted and pretty smart adviser is telling her exactly what to wear. ‘Play the sensible, demure, plain, forgettable victim,’ ” And then she just can’t resist, she has to throw on the brightest, wildest patterned scarf that anyone could ever make. She wears a hot fuchsia blouse. She can’t resist letting her wild side out.”  What does “her wild side” mean? If she were a man would they have employed a fashion expert to analyze her attire? No. This is the kind of coverage that is reserved for women. Dixon deserves better than this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooray …Sammy Sosa Can Now Pass the Paper Bag Test

Over the past few days we have seen the before and after pictures of Sammy Sosa the baseball great. He claims his lightened skin was caused by some face creams he was using. The cream must have been “bleach and glow”. Black people have been using skin lightening creams for years. The paper bag test was the barometer for beauty. If you were lighter than the bag you passed the test. In the past people lightened their skin for acceptance by the mainstream, but it is hard to believe that Sosa craved acceptance. This is a guy who in his heyday was hailed by millions. He was accepted. One would tend to believe that he was comfortable in his own skin, and he would not want to look like a ghost of his former self.

What is Veteran’s Day?

 Today while grocery shopping the cashier told me she went to the bank and she was surprised it was closed. She was in the parking lot with other customers and they didn’t know why it was closed either. She saw the sign on the door said it was Veteran’s Day. She then went to the Post Office only to be met with a similar sign. So she finally came to work and our paths crossed she asked me “what is Veteran’s Day anyway?” I looked at her for a minute to formulate an adequate response. I then said it was a day of remembrance for servicemen who had given their lives for us. She then said you mean “Iraq and Afghanistan” I said yes, but also World War I, World War II and the Vietnam war. She said well “the only holidays I know are Christmas and Hanukkah because that’s when you get gifts”. After that she chuckled. This was an OMG moment. This woman was twenty something and blissful in her ignorance. The sad thing is she and so many others of her generation do not know the steep price that has been paid for our freedom. My dad was a WW II vet. He served in a segregated unit of the US Navy. He served his country at a time when fellow servicemen called him the n-word. Today I remember his sacrifice and those men in his unit that loved this country and fought for it. After leaving the store I asked my 13 year old daughter did she know what Veteran’s Day meant and she said a time to remember the veterans. I was glad she knew and then I took the time to tell her that this was a great country not perfect but still great, and the freedom we enjoy is directly attributable to the acts of the men and women who proudly serve this country. So I encourage all parents to take some time today and tell their children that this is a day that we remember the sacrifices made so that we might enjoy the gift of freedom.