Prince is Anti Gay????

Have you heard that Prince made statements in opposition to gay marriage in the New Yorker recently? The interview took a political turn and Prince gave his opinions regarding how Republicans and Democrats operate, stating, "So here’s how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this.” (He pointed to a Bible.) “But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.”

Then he was asked about issues like gay marriage and was quoted as saying, “God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’ ”

Now, supposedly Prince was either misquoted or the quote was taken out of context. And reportedly "His Royal Badness" is "very angry" about this. But he has not made any formal public rebuttals to this portion of the interview.

I tend to think things got a bit twisted. I would hate to think a man who busted onto the scene wearing eyeliner, a blow-out and sporting leg warmers and pumps would have a problem with the gay community. I mean, really? Prince forged an entire public persona that was based on androgyny, and his music has always embodied an all inclusive attitude-"Black, White, Puerto Rican, everybody just a freakin'"!

It would be easy to assume Prince takes an anti gay stance having gone real deep into being a Jehovah's Witness. He's even taking it so far as to go door to door proselytizing to his neighbors--What?! I wish I would open my door and see this little man standing there in ass-less pants and a perm holding a Bible wanting to show me the way. But for real, can a man whose had three marriages really have anything to say about anybody else wanting to walk down the aisle?

Well, only Prince really knows what he said and what he meant, but seeing as he was smart enough to pioneer the fight for music artists' rights, and champion the usage of alternative revenue sources, I think he's smart enough to know that love is love and everybody should just "shut up and dance!"

Peace

R&B, R.I.P.

I love music! Love it! As Grace would say I'm a "slave to the rhythm", but if you watched the American Music Awards (or listened to the radio) you would think: Black music is dead--or dependent on only 6 artists (Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Kanye, NeYo, Rihanna, and (sigh) T-Pain). What the hell happened to Black music?

We all know the music industry is in a sad state, and it's even worse for R&B. Creatively it's gotten pathetic with most artists churning out hits with the premise of "what would make a good ringtone" instead of what would make a good song. NeYo, the modern day Babyface, who caters to the female audience by stroking our egos and promising fantasies of gentlemanly ways manages to break through the mire of tired and over-sexed male artists mainly by presentation, not necessarily talent, and become a mainstream R&B artist. Vocally he's no Luther--but lately, who in mainstream Black music really is? Who is giving us the total package?

There's John Legend, but even he seems to have kind of fallen off and not getting the publicity/air play he once was. And even Usher can't move the masses to make his last CD a success by industry standards. How are artists who were once considered major acts, not getting the recognition/respect they used to? And which mainstream black artists are truly bringing the whole package-substance, style, talent, and delivery, and therefore earning their mainstream success?

Kanye is giving us a good package--the content of his music has become more interesting, and visually he always comes with something fresh--I'm not feeling him as a "singer ", necessarily on "Love Lockdown", but in his case it's all about concept. Okay that's one.

Mariah's a good singer, but do you even care? Is she giving you anything to be excited about? With Mariah's repeated bird calls and wavey hand strokes singing the same lame tempo-ed gibberish of a school girl (Mariah, you's a grown ass woman--granted you married a child, but you's grown) it begs the question: Can we get a grown ass groove on? Or do I really have to be 12 to give a damn? Can you make me wanna dance, dance, dance-clap my hands, hands, hands--all, night, long?

Beyonce's been all over the place lately trying to show the world she's grown up, a little. (Those leotards are a bit confusing.) But when she performs "Single Ladies", a tune that frankly just doesn't motivate me to make my way to the dance floor like "Crazy In Love" did/still does, can we get more than a re-enactment of the video? That's not fierce, Sasha. I want the extravaganzas that used to typify your performance style. Growing up and getting married doesn't mean you have to get boring. Bring it!

And a lot of people throw Alicia Keys into the constant debate about whether or not R&B has anything to offer these days. Yes, the girl brings substance, style, and a certain sophistication that's been lost with the Cassie's and such--and yes, talent--as a musician. As a singer I won't go too much into how I for one practically hold my breath when watching her perform as I wonder if she will hit, not sing that high note. But if you can only point to one or two artists in the entire music industry, which actually, if you listen to the radio seems to consists of about 12 acts, (most of whom feel compelled to "collabo" with T-Pain or Lil' "Weezie") isn't that kind of sad? Don't we deserve more than that?

We've got Black artists like Musiq, Estelle, and Jazmine Sullivan, who does not get nearly enough recognition for her church reared vocals, who collectively, at least attempt to take us back to the days where you had to bring something to the table to get a record deal, whether its an undeniable flow, a song you have to sing along to, an interesting presence, or just a flat out hot voice. However, where were they at the American Music Awards? Are none of them popular enough to be considered part of the music industry at large? I guess that's why we have the Soul Train Awards, the BET Awards, etc. But even on those shows I'm noticing that the cluster of black artists (who get any kind of air/video play) is getting smaller and smaller. And the music is fading.....

Not that long ago there were a good number of black artists consistently providing danceable and even interesting offerings (Floetry, Faith, Jill Scott, OutKast-okay and a little further back, Maxwell) and daaammmn, where the hell is Lauryn Hill? But now you have to seek out good music. You certainly can't rely on the radio to tell you what's bumpin'. You have to go online and ask around to find a great song, or not even a great song, just a song you can tolerate for more than 30 seconds-a song you wouldn't mind putting on your iPod. Has anybody really had to put their drink down or stop mid-conversation recently to put a hand in the air for a hot song like we did with "One Thing" by Amerie?

Am I alone here? Can you think of any contemporary mainstream Black artists who are really putting it down? Let me know what you think.

D.L. Hughley-Hugely Disappointing

Last month D.L. Hughley launched a new show on CNN, "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News", a comedic take on news and current events. I've been giving it a few weeks before I take a position. At first it sounded like a good idea though I was surprised CNN would try this type of platform and more surprised they went with Hughley. But I was happy to see another brown face on TV. My surprise and positive anticipation has turned to major disappointment.

I'd hoped the show would give Hughley an opportunity to redeem himself from his horrific participation in the movie/insult to an entire community, "Soul Plane". And oddly, though he's a decent actor, there are other personalities who have more presence and posses more comedic genius. So just exactly how did he get this gig? Three weeks into this mess have prompted me to say to myself, "D.L. are you serious? Is this really the best you can do with this opportunity?"

You know how you are eating something and it's just not that great, but you keep eating for some dumb reason thinking/hoping it will get better until you finally give up? That's how I've felt watching this ridiculous-ness. A show featuring political fodder and comedic news analysis requires at least two critical components: the ability to be funny and the ability to be smart. Hughley has not demonstrated either of these talents so far in this embarrassingly disappointing effort for CNN to broaden their programming.

Upon announcement of the show Hughley said, "The show will resemble the late-night talk shows of Jay Leno and David Letterman more than Jon Stewart's "Daily Show"." Okay D.L. that may have been your vision, but the difference is that those shows have brilliant writers and hosts who can offer whip smart comebacks to varied guests, and follow a script without continuously stumbling over words.

Not only am I disappointed in Hughley, though my faith didn't have far to fall, but in CNN. During this election process I have been riveted to CNN and found their political coverage to be stellar in its information and analysis. So I am baffled by the fact the powers that be over there chose to greelight this buffoonery and think it's okay to showcase a skit where the financial institute Freddie Mac is personified by a black man parading as a blacksploitation P.I.M.P. Not that having a black president is going to eradicate negative black images, but shouldn't it on some level encourage those in the media to work a little harder and convey comedy that goes beyond the cheap, easy stereotype? A black man as a pimp? Really? Didn't we finally get that out of our systems with Terrence Howard?

Ironically, Hughley portrayed a writer on the now defunct show, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", who'd purposely sought a new writer to bring smarter and less stereotypical black humor to the show--uh wouldn't it be great in this case if life imitated art?

I am waiting to see how long it takes for this mockery of a mock news show to get cancelled--and interestingly it might not be long because if you go to the CNN website, and try to find a page for Hughley's show, uh, you can't--http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/ but in the interim, I hope D.L. will raise the bar, and meet this opportunity with the level of excellence it and the viewers deserve.

Have you seen this show? What do you think?

Short Hair--Fashion Trend or Revolution?

Over the past couple of years women have been opting for the chop! You can credit Rhianna or Posh Spice, depending on who you talk to for the inspiration and/or courage to rock a short do and let go of the cascading tresses, grown or sewn. And yes Halle helped a while back by wearing a cropped cut.

I spoke to a young lady the other day who always had hair down her back. She recently cut it to chin length and declared, she’ll “never grow it out again”, telling me the decision to go short was liberating. Short hair has become more than a fashion trend but a re-discovered element of the women's lib movement. I am happy to see women roll with a short cut strutting with the confidence that isn’t reliant on and hiding behind long Barbie hair. If that looks works for you, great, but so many black girls have felt they needed long hair to feel attractive. There are plenty of women who have always worn short hair by choice, but lately the look has gained momentum and become more of a personal statement.

I myself went through a transformation when I cut my hair and saw myself through new eyes. At first I was fearful that a short cut wouldn’t look good on me. I’d been so attached to a certain look for a long time. But gradually I came to not only accept my new look, but love it! (I was also loving the extra time I was saving by having a more carefree style.) One of the best quotes I’ve ever heard is from Jada Pinkett Smith who said, “When you accept yourself, you leave others no choice but to accept you too.” Preach Jada! The world will love you for you not your hair, when you love yourself first. Period.

At this point hair has become just another accessory. And it’s common for women to change their look every week with weaves, wigs, whatever. But what I am noticing is that the weaves and wigs have gotten shorter. Women who were hell bent on sporting the Beyonce tracks are now seeing themselves differently and realizing that they don’t have to have long hair to be fly. Black women are redefining their own beauty with the self assuredness absent of the European standard that has been imposed on us regarding what “fine” really is. We are breaking free and emerging with new boldness.

There is liberation in defining yourself. There is exhilaration in re-defining yourself. Whatever look you chose, chose it for you knowing that the "new fine" has options.

Open Letter to Sherri Shepherd

I almost want to call this piece “Dumbass of the Week”, but I’m trying to be nice-er. Okay, I’ve been trying—hard to give Sherri Shepherd a break. She is not a talk show host—she is a comedic actress, but unfortunately that talent hasn’t translated to her new position as co-host on “The View”. Obviously part of her success is that as an actress, she relies on scripted material. She doesn’t have to be spontaneous, well spoken or uh, smart. Now, in the attempt at fairness, Sherri is no Sarah Palin. I’m sure she knows Africa is a continent and not a country, even if she once believed the world was flat. But over the past several months I’ve watched Sherri open her mouth and insert her foot numerous times, or just say something dumb. She has consistently offered feeble comebacks to combat Elisabeth Hasslebeck’s obnoxiously over zealous and oftentimes naïve mission to defend the Republican Party. (Defend it all you want Liz- “Yes We Did!”) But over the past few weeks Sherri has actually been letting Ms. Survivor have it, and I was rooting for her. But she has since lost momentum and I've had it!

Dear Sherri,

Back in July you revealed in an interview with a CHRISTIAN publication that you’d had “more abortions than (you) would like to count.” Eeewww. That’s just gross, but more so, uh dumb!!! (Why do so many reborn Christians feel the need for full disclosure of all their past atrocities?) Sherri, haven’t you seen Oprah in her many, many name dropping diatribes tell us how her mentor, Maya Angelou says that you can tell the truth about what you know but you don’t have to tell all you know?

Sherri, you are a public figure. Know when to keep your trap shut!!! If in fact you were trying to do a Madonna and tell your business before you can be blackmailed with it, you should have remembered, that ONLY WORKS FOR WHITE PEOPLE! You went on to say that sometimes when sitting next to Barbara Walters you think of religious figures who could “lay hands on her and get her saved”. Are you stupid? First, you don’t PUBLICLY criticize your boss—ESPECIALLY when your boss is Barbara Walters. Did you forget that you’re on that show because Babs got rid of another black, mouthy woman? Second, what is wrong with you?

But then there seemed to be hope. After this story got out you QUICKLY issued a statement on “The View” telling viewers you’d apologized to Barbara, blah, blah, blah, back peddle, back peddle, back peddle. Then you did seem to make a concerted effort not to be the dumbest bump on the log and started chiming in with surprisingly poignant retorts to some of your colleague’s comments. Brava! It’s alive! But then, (sigh) you f’d it up again…

I personally cannot stand it when people hide behind religion or the Bible to justify their judgmental attitudes, particularly when they start sentences like, “Well the Bible says…”, and then can’t even quote the verse. This week when discussing the passing of Proposition 8 (a proposition banning gay marriage in California) you told the audience you remain conflicted about gay rights, and believe the definition of marriage as stated in the Bible.

You began defending your position by saying, “Well, as a Christian…” As a Christian, Sherri, did you or didn’t you have “more abortions than (you ) would like to count”? I guess that was all before you found God? Okay, the past is the past, and we should all be able to overcome and correct our missteps in life, but redemption is not an automatic right to cast judgement using the same Bible that I'm CERTAIN frowns upon promiscuity, and throw stones sweetie!

Sherri, I don’t like being this hard on you. You are actually a talented actress and you've been kicked in the ass for a minute now. You’ve even dismantled your website’s message board as an apparent response to overwhelming critical feedback. The passion, love, and kindness you display when you talk about your son, or share your concern for your friend, a cancer survivor, makes all this harder to say, but damn!- you left me no choice!

Okay Sherri: read more, surround yourself with people smarter than you, get a better publicist—hire a common sense consultant—call me Girl!—step, up, your, game! Learn how to interview and respond in the public arena appropriately. Find a way to strengthen your ability to think on your feet.

Even though we have a black president, we are still easy targets. Do your due diligence on how to represent in this game and don’t make it so easy any more. There’s a brain in there somewhere or else you wouldn’t have made it this far—go farther.

Peace, Ree-Ree

The People Have Spoken!

We always hear, “Work smart not hard”. Barack Obama did both. Though obviously this victory has a profound historical significance that goes deep and reaches far, (did you see our brothers and sisters celebrating in Africa?) this is not merely about a Black man being president. This is about a smart man who ran a BRILLIANT campaign, and identified the forlorn feelings of many Americans and offered hope, which is more than we’ve had in over a decade.

Does having a Black president mean I will never be spit on again, or stopped in the hallway at work by a security guard, while I’m in business attire because I don’t look like I work there, or overhear a white supervisor tell (use) one of my black coworkers to watch me and not leave me alone? Does this mean that some people will stop thinking that calling me “articulate” is a compliment? Does this mean I’ll be able to express my dissenting perspective in a business meeting just as passionately as my white counterparts without being deemed aggressive or arrogant? Does this mean no one will ever call me a nigger again? No. As a matter of fact I think there’s potential for the people who resent having a Black man in charge to raise their game in the race war and start some $#@!

But what it does mean is that I can loose that twenty pounds. I can sell that script. I can live abroad for a year. I can shape my own life! You can be your own boss one day. You can write that novel. You can find a way to go back to school. You can do damn near whatever it is that you once thought was impossible, if you work hard and work smart.

My three year old niece has no idea what’s going on. My mother, raised in the civil rights movement, connects to this moment with a particular intensity felt by Black people who remember, not just read about it, or saw it in a documentary during Black History Month, but remember: having to drink from the Black fountain, sit at the back of the bus, and accept a society that expended much time, energy, and money trying to convince her that because she is Black, she is nothing. My Grandmother has witnessed an event she never considered to be a possible possibility …ever. I haven’t fully experienced my emotions yet and will probably find myself over the course of the next few days tearing up in the most random place at the most random time: on the treadmill, in the grocery store inspecting an orange, waiting for the train…Everyone around me will think I’m crazy. No, I’m just encouraged. I don’t think this country and all its ugly ways will change overnight, but the possibility of the possibility is here.

The people have spoken and we say: “Be Encouraged!”

Peace