Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Michael Jackson had something for everyone--no need to blame Jamie
Well, I went to the Jamie Foxx web site and there is a virtual race war-of-words going on there. Some are accusing Mr. Foxx of being a racist after viewing the Black Entertainment Television Awards Show last week.
If any of you watched Michael Jackson’s memorial on Monday and heard Al Sharpton entire speech, then maybe you will get the hint that Mr. Jackson was indeed a black man. Don’t blame Jamie Foxx for that, for he too is a black man. There are some things relatable across the races and some things relatable to the races. Mike’s last CD was a testament to the love he felt for his community. His entire music catalog is a testament to how he loved music and his fans.
Invincible was played at every stepper’s set for years and still got some play before he died just because it was gooooood! We like and appreciate that Mike, so thanks. We liked all of his songs but some of those syncopated beats scream foot work and some scream other dance moves--stuff I‘m too old to do. We all like some things more than others. That is just the way people are made up. No one calls Foxx a racist when he is hosting the Country Music Awards. He is just as funny and shocking as ever. So I think the rub in all of this is that Foxx reminded folk that Michael Jackson was a black man.
Some of his fans do not want to take this fact into consideration. He was everything but to them. The truth is that he was a little black boy from Gary, Indiana--which is 85 percent African American--who grew up in Los Angles using his talent to his advantage. Was he more than just a black man? Yes, just as all black men are more than just a black man and just like all white men are more than just white men,
et cetera. We are all more than just our race. However, it seems being black sticks under the craw of many. I don’t know why but it just seems to make a difference. As assimilated as we are, it should not be but it is and it takes a great effort on a black person’s part to downplay anything that gets in the way of acceptance. Mike proved that. As blacks we are still making and counting firsts. Mike proved that too.
Let us not find a blame in all of this surrounding MJ’s death but take entertainment at face value and not make it a political action committee. If you want to fight for rights or anything else good that helps the human race, President Obama has several very fine outfits people can join.
P.S. Ladies no one will care if you work, are on government assistance, have had children out-of-wedlock or whatever. Those things are your personal choices and do not give nor take away your right to speak out. So please stop prefacing comments with ”I am a single mother…” No one cares and we are not giving out awards for choosing to birth and/or raise children. We used to but not anymore because everybody’s doing it.
If any of you watched Michael Jackson’s memorial on Monday and heard Al Sharpton entire speech, then maybe you will get the hint that Mr. Jackson was indeed a black man. Don’t blame Jamie Foxx for that, for he too is a black man. There are some things relatable across the races and some things relatable to the races. Mike’s last CD was a testament to the love he felt for his community. His entire music catalog is a testament to how he loved music and his fans.
Invincible was played at every stepper’s set for years and still got some play before he died just because it was gooooood! We like and appreciate that Mike, so thanks. We liked all of his songs but some of those syncopated beats scream foot work and some scream other dance moves--stuff I‘m too old to do. We all like some things more than others. That is just the way people are made up. No one calls Foxx a racist when he is hosting the Country Music Awards. He is just as funny and shocking as ever. So I think the rub in all of this is that Foxx reminded folk that Michael Jackson was a black man.
Some of his fans do not want to take this fact into consideration. He was everything but to them. The truth is that he was a little black boy from Gary, Indiana--which is 85 percent African American--who grew up in Los Angles using his talent to his advantage. Was he more than just a black man? Yes, just as all black men are more than just a black man and just like all white men are more than just white men,
et cetera. We are all more than just our race. However, it seems being black sticks under the craw of many. I don’t know why but it just seems to make a difference. As assimilated as we are, it should not be but it is and it takes a great effort on a black person’s part to downplay anything that gets in the way of acceptance. Mike proved that. As blacks we are still making and counting firsts. Mike proved that too.
Let us not find a blame in all of this surrounding MJ’s death but take entertainment at face value and not make it a political action committee. If you want to fight for rights or anything else good that helps the human race, President Obama has several very fine outfits people can join.
P.S. Ladies no one will care if you work, are on government assistance, have had children out-of-wedlock or whatever. Those things are your personal choices and do not give nor take away your right to speak out. So please stop prefacing comments with ”I am a single mother…” No one cares and we are not giving out awards for choosing to birth and/or raise children. We used to but not anymore because everybody’s doing it.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Invisible Man's Band - All Night Thing 1979 DISCO
According to a discography on You Tube, "Curtis Mayfield, The Invisible Man's Band consisted of:
Clarence Burke Jnr. b. 1951, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (lead and acoustic guitar)
James Burke b. 1952, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (vibes)
Kenneth (Keni) Burke b. 28th September 1953, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (bass guitar)
Dennis Burke b. 1953, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (rhythm guitar)..."
Keni Burke wrote my fav steppin' song, "Indigenous Love"
Alllllright!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
KANYE WEST’S FLOW IS COMEDY GOLD ON “THE CLEVELAND SHOW”
Academy Award Nominee Taraji P. Henson (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) Also Guest-Voices
International hip-hop superstar and 12-time Grammy Award winner Kanye West and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson get animated when they lend their voices to THE CLEVELAND SHOW, the highly anticipated FAMILY GUY spin-off set to debut this fall on FOX. West will appear as KENNY WEST, an all-around cool kid and the archenemy of CLEVELAND JR. (Kevin Michael Richardson), and the two will engage in a “rap battle” for the affection of high school hottie CHANEL (Henson).
THE CLEVELAND SHOW is a new animated series that follows everyone’s favorite soft-spoken neighbor CLEVELAND BROWN (Mike Henry) to his hometown in Virginia, as he settles down with his high school sweetheart, DONNA (Sanaa Lathan); her unruly kids; and his own 14-year-old son, Cleveland Jr. (Richardson). Once in Virginia, Cleveland has a few surprises in store for him, including ROBERTA (Reagan Gomez-Preston), a rebellious new stepdaughter; RALLO (Henry), a 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies; and a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck, LESTER (Richardson); a hipster wanna-be, HOLT (guest voice Jason Sudeikis); and a pious pair of talking bears, TIM (Seth MacFarlane) and his wife ARIANNA (guest voice Arianna Huffington).
Kanye West’s fourth consecutive chart-topping album, “808s & Heartbreak,” was released in November 2008 and has sold over 1.5 million copies to date. He has received numerous accolades for his latest album, and his hit single “Heartless” has been at the top of the charts for 16 weeks and counting.
Taraji P. Henson earned an Academy Award nomination in 2009 for her supporting role opposite Brad Pitt in the critically acclaimed film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Henson has appeared in “Hustle & Flow” with Terrence Howard and “Talk to Me” opposite Don Cheadle. Her upcoming films include “Hurricane Season” opposite Forest Whitaker, “Once Fallen” with Ed Harris and Tyler Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself.” Her television credits include “Boston Legal” and “Eli Stone.”
THE CLEVELAND SHOW is a 20th Century Fox Television production. Seth MacFarlane, Rich Appel and Mike Henry are executive producers and co-creators of the series.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Seth MacFarlane interview with Adam and Jack
Seth MacFarlane interview
I think it is his voice that kept me listening in combination with his mind/conversation on Jack. Love it, love the show.
Pretty Good!
(they actually meantion "Jabba Jaw" and Hanna Barbara, Rubic's Cube, Grape Ape etc.) Remember those cartoons? And yes he does the Peter voice.
Dag!
Photo curtesy of Adam Carolla Podcast
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Go See the film Knowing right away!
This is one of the best movies I have seen this year. I actually paid the matinee price and dragged my two children along with me to watch this film. I didn't wait for it to come out on video. My daughter is Autistic--this will tell parents of special needs kids how much I wanted to see Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage.
The previews looked really exiting but I didn't know if that would be it for the movie or what. It was not. The entire film moved along well: explaining, unraveling, following, back story, character definition. Mr. Cage explored fully the main character-who was a professor of cosmology. His star gazing led to him understanding of the importance of the page of numbers his character's son brought home from the time capsule at his school. The film transcends this world's obsession with petty differences based on race, gender and age and speaks to the audience as they stand naked and helpless before nature itself. Knowing spoke to me as a human. The action was heart-stopping. I covered my eyes at some points. It was so real and believable.
This film was frightening, mind opening and humbling all at once.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Nicolas Cage Interview – KNOWING
"Cage: Well, I have a movie called 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' coming out. Werner Herzog directed that. I have a movie called 'Season of the Witch' coming out that Dominic Sean directed and now this week I'll be doing, commencing photography on 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'. Plus, I have two animated features coming out which hopefully make the kids smile."
Nicolas Cage Interview – KNOWING
Posted using ShareThis
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Dr. Zag gives the thumbs up to Cage's 2009 thriller Knowing
Hey Harry -
I just got back from a screening of KNOWING and wanted to share my reaction since I’ve been hearing a lot about the movie and haven’t read any reviews yet. I'll start off by prefacing this that it way exceeded my expectations. Yes, it was Alex Proyas so I should have been more excited, but it had been 10 years since his last movie that I loved -- actually one of my top sci-fi of all time -- Dark City. On top of that, it was a new Nic Cage movie, which meant it had a 50% chance of sucking. I was hoping for the Nic Cage from action movies like The Rock or Face/Off, not Ghost Rider or Next Nic.
So imagine my surprise when I walked out of the theater with the initial thought that I'd just seen a brilliant thriller. I'm going to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, b/c the trailers are doing a great job of concealing some of the shocking (and pleasant) surprises of this movie. It's an intense experience - the movie is filled with a pervasive sense of dread (compounded by the spectacular disaster sequences - Roland Emmerich should take note - this is how you create disaster sequences with shock and consequences while investing people emotionally -- not just empty spectacle). But the turns that this movie takes produce a surprising ray of hope, and not in the Deep Impact or Armageddon kind of way where people improbably save the day in the nick of time.
The movie begins with Cage's son receiving a string of hand written numbers from a time capsule that his (and Nic's former) elementary school unearth. Cage is an astrophysics professor and he is raising his son by himself - his wife died years earlier - and in his opening classroom scenes you get the sense that this loss and his academic philosophy have left him believing that he's living in a world without meaning, where everything happens at random. The discovery that the numbers may have predicted every major disaster (the numbers list date/total deaths/longitude-latitude location) throws this entire belief system into chaos.
He doesn't come full circle until a horrifying plane crash matches one of the three number sequences left to happen. It's an insane sequence - shot all in one take (reminded me of those crazy ass action scenes from Children of Men that were done in one unbroken camera shot). After this he becomes a true believer and sets out on a quest to find out who wrote the numbers.
The end of the film is bold - definitely not what I was expecting - especially for a mainstream Hollywood film. I appreciate the fact that Alex Proyas decided not to go the easy way out and give everything a supernatural explanation - it's all readily explainable and it really ties in the theme of spirituality/meaning vs. science/randomness in some unique ways. It's emotional and it will leave you thinking and debating the outcome with your friends. I still can't shake it.
Some gripes -- it sags in the middle a bit after going at a break neck pace for the first half. There are some Cage moments that are a bit cringe-worthy, but all tolerable within the overall journey of his character.
The good - incredible tension throughout most of the film. A threatening sense of dread and a true mystery was unraveled that I didn't see coming. The disaster sequences - jaw-dropping. And the relationship between father and son was particularly affecting.
Overall I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10. Alex Proyas is back folks and Nic Cage can chalk one up to "good" 50% column. He's safe until National Treasure 3.
If you decide to use this review, please call me Dr. Zag.
I just got back from a screening of KNOWING and wanted to share my reaction since I’ve been hearing a lot about the movie and haven’t read any reviews yet. I'll start off by prefacing this that it way exceeded my expectations. Yes, it was Alex Proyas so I should have been more excited, but it had been 10 years since his last movie that I loved -- actually one of my top sci-fi of all time -- Dark City. On top of that, it was a new Nic Cage movie, which meant it had a 50% chance of sucking. I was hoping for the Nic Cage from action movies like The Rock or Face/Off, not Ghost Rider or Next Nic.
So imagine my surprise when I walked out of the theater with the initial thought that I'd just seen a brilliant thriller. I'm going to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, b/c the trailers are doing a great job of concealing some of the shocking (and pleasant) surprises of this movie. It's an intense experience - the movie is filled with a pervasive sense of dread (compounded by the spectacular disaster sequences - Roland Emmerich should take note - this is how you create disaster sequences with shock and consequences while investing people emotionally -- not just empty spectacle). But the turns that this movie takes produce a surprising ray of hope, and not in the Deep Impact or Armageddon kind of way where people improbably save the day in the nick of time.
The movie begins with Cage's son receiving a string of hand written numbers from a time capsule that his (and Nic's former) elementary school unearth. Cage is an astrophysics professor and he is raising his son by himself - his wife died years earlier - and in his opening classroom scenes you get the sense that this loss and his academic philosophy have left him believing that he's living in a world without meaning, where everything happens at random. The discovery that the numbers may have predicted every major disaster (the numbers list date/total deaths/longitude-latitude location) throws this entire belief system into chaos.
He doesn't come full circle until a horrifying plane crash matches one of the three number sequences left to happen. It's an insane sequence - shot all in one take (reminded me of those crazy ass action scenes from Children of Men that were done in one unbroken camera shot). After this he becomes a true believer and sets out on a quest to find out who wrote the numbers.
The end of the film is bold - definitely not what I was expecting - especially for a mainstream Hollywood film. I appreciate the fact that Alex Proyas decided not to go the easy way out and give everything a supernatural explanation - it's all readily explainable and it really ties in the theme of spirituality/meaning vs. science/randomness in some unique ways. It's emotional and it will leave you thinking and debating the outcome with your friends. I still can't shake it.
Some gripes -- it sags in the middle a bit after going at a break neck pace for the first half. There are some Cage moments that are a bit cringe-worthy, but all tolerable within the overall journey of his character.
The good - incredible tension throughout most of the film. A threatening sense of dread and a true mystery was unraveled that I didn't see coming. The disaster sequences - jaw-dropping. And the relationship between father and son was particularly affecting.
Overall I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10. Alex Proyas is back folks and Nic Cage can chalk one up to "good" 50% column. He's safe until National Treasure 3.
If you decide to use this review, please call me Dr. Zag.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail tops box office
The Jonas Brothers are a genuine sensation - in all seriousness, they might just be the biggest act on Earth.
And the Jonas Brothers had a film out on Friday. So what’s the number one movie at the weekend box office this week? You guessed it - it’s Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail.
And the Jonas Brothers had a film out on Friday. So what’s the number one movie at the weekend box office this week? You guessed it - it’s Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Ebony & Jet on the brink of ruin
This e-mail was sent to me from my friend, Toni:
One of the MOST notable permanent fixtures in EVERY black household (back in the days), was the Ebony, along with Jet magazine.
If you wanted to learn about your history, the plight of black america, current issues facing black americans, how the political process of america affects you, how politics works, who the hottest actors were, what time a particular black television show aired, who got married recently, who were the most eligible bachelors, and bachelorettes in your town, what cities had black mayors, police chiefs, school superintendents, how to register to vote, what cars offer the best value for the buck, who employed black americans, how to apply for college scholarships, ect, MORE THAN LIKELY, the Ebony, or the Jet magazine could help you find answers to those questions.
We have recently been informed that the Johnson Publishing Company organization is currently going through a financial crisis. The company is attempting a reorganization in order to survive. Many people have already lost their jobs with a company that has employed thousands of black americans during the course of it's existence.
In order to support this effort to save OUR magazine, my friends and myself have pledged to get a subscription to both, Ebony, and Jet magazine, starting with one year. We are urging EVERY other person who comes across this plea, to do the same. Please post, repost, and post again, to any blog that you may own, or support. Please email this to EVERY person that you know, regardless of their background. Let them know that Ebony, and Jet magazine has been part of the black american culture for 3 quarters of a century, and that there is a lot that they can learn about black american culture from reading them.
We are currently discussing the idea of throwing an Ebony/Jet party, where people can eat, drink, and sign up for their subscription on the spot. Please spread this idea around to all that you know. Your sororities, fraternities, lodges, VFW posts, churches, civic groups, block clubs, caps meetings, book clubs, ect.
It would be a crying shame, to lose our historic magazine, during the same year of such an historic event as the election of our FIRST BLACK President of the US.
May our Father continue to bless us, in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ.
One of the MOST notable permanent fixtures in EVERY black household (back in the days), was the Ebony, along with Jet magazine.
If you wanted to learn about your history, the plight of black america, current issues facing black americans, how the political process of america affects you, how politics works, who the hottest actors were, what time a particular black television show aired, who got married recently, who were the most eligible bachelors, and bachelorettes in your town, what cities had black mayors, police chiefs, school superintendents, how to register to vote, what cars offer the best value for the buck, who employed black americans, how to apply for college scholarships, ect, MORE THAN LIKELY, the Ebony, or the Jet magazine could help you find answers to those questions.
We have recently been informed that the Johnson Publishing Company organization is currently going through a financial crisis. The company is attempting a reorganization in order to survive. Many people have already lost their jobs with a company that has employed thousands of black americans during the course of it's existence.
In order to support this effort to save OUR magazine, my friends and myself have pledged to get a subscription to both, Ebony, and Jet magazine, starting with one year. We are urging EVERY other person who comes across this plea, to do the same. Please post, repost, and post again, to any blog that you may own, or support. Please email this to EVERY person that you know, regardless of their background. Let them know that Ebony, and Jet magazine has been part of the black american culture for 3 quarters of a century, and that there is a lot that they can learn about black american culture from reading them.
We are currently discussing the idea of throwing an Ebony/Jet party, where people can eat, drink, and sign up for their subscription on the spot. Please spread this idea around to all that you know. Your sororities, fraternities, lodges, VFW posts, churches, civic groups, block clubs, caps meetings, book clubs, ect.
It would be a crying shame, to lose our historic magazine, during the same year of such an historic event as the election of our FIRST BLACK President of the US.
May our Father continue to bless us, in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
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