"The Game" Makes a Comeback?

It has been announced that there have been serious conversations at CBS to bring back the CW cancelled series, "The Game". Cocoa Popps is a big fan of the show and there has definitely been a big chocolate void in television ever since the sitcom was taken off the air. Reliving the show on BET in reruns is cool, except for the fact you have to ignore the constant promotional banners running across the screen. (Okay, we get it BET, you want us to watch "Frankie and Neffie"!) But new episodes, as Derwin would say, "that's what's up".

If this deal goes down it would be a first for a black show-wouldn't it? They kept "JAG" on forever, and even found it a new home on another network. "Scrubs" also found new life after being cancelled by NBC, so why not bring back "The Game" a show so many love and have missed?

But it makes me wonder where will the show fit on CBS? What sitcom will it be paired with, since CBS doesn't appear to have any other African American shows? Will it even be a sitcom? Will the creator Mara Brock Akil try and make it into a one hour "dramedy"? She pitched that idea to the CW when the show was in jeopardy of being cancelled and they experimented with that format in the series finale. I don't think it worked. Did you?

And speaking of things that didn't work about the last episode--okay is it just me, or weren't there some things that just didn't make a lick of sense?

• Kelly beat Tasha's a$$? Yeah right.

• And why didn't Melanie and Derwin just get married instead of him rushing off in the middle of the ceremony to be by Janay, his baby's mamma's, side? (And speaking of Janay, how is the actress who played her in the straight-to-video third installment of "Bring it On" playing a teenage cheerleader? We know a sister needs a job, but really?)

• Didn't it seem as if it was subtly implied that TeTe is really a recovering drug addict?

• And what was up with Malik's crazy, over-the-top annoying half sister? (You know a show is going under when they start bringing in new characters.)

• Oh! And wait a minute!!! WHY did Jason walk away with Camille (Stacey Dash) when Kelly was the one who came to his trial (for beating Kelly's big dumb boyfriend's a$$) to support him?

So how will the show proceed? Will Derwin and Melanie get married? Will Malik ever grow up? Will Kelly and Jason get back together? Will Tasha EVER get a man? (They should totally bring back Rick Fox!) It all remains to be seen. And if the show does make a return to TV, then maybe the cast members will go on "Wendy Williams" and we can hear about all the goings on Wendy style--because previously, "The Game" was the most non-publicity getting show on air!

The great thing is that someone somewhere sees value in this show and once again, fans just might be able to say, "Game on"!

WHAT is Going on in Black Publishing?

I was on the train the other day and in the attempt to consciously avoid eye contact with other strap hangers I happened to look up and saw the latest installment of the Karrine Steffans empire, The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce and Keep the Man You Want. Gross! Doesn't she have anything better to do? (And the only endorsement on the cover was from Bill Maher who has a history of dating women, Black women who typify the overly sexualized and undereducated stereotypical Black female image that he seems to be all too comfortable with.)

We all want love, but I am tired of women being depicted, (and depicting themselves) as having only one objective in life—getting a man. And yes, we know boys will be boys, but a real man worth having wants a woman who has more to offer than just sex—right? But this book is just an extension of the extinction of true Black literature, and begs the question: What is going on in the world of Black publishing?

When visiting a bookstore and looking at the “African American Literature” section, you will typically find one of several common sub-genres:

The “Thug Love” novel--On the cover you’ll see some muscled up brotha who just got out of jail who is either scowling or embracing a Black woman who usually looks confused, distressed or in heat.

The “Get Some” novel--A Black woman who just needs to get some; from her man, her girlfriend’s man, any man.

The “Yes We Can” books-- Biographies of notable Black achievers and manuals directing the Black community on how to save themselves--from themselves. (Uh, helloooo, the people who are part of the problem in the Black community won’t be reading these books. And the people concerned with the solutions don’t need these books.)

And last but not least…

The “Church” novel—A book depicting some conflict and/or scandal revolving around the folks in the church; whether the preacher is stepping out with the new young thing in town, or the Deacon is dipping into the “building fund”.

One will be hard pressed to find an intelligent, entertaining and fresh read that doesn’t contain the formulaic storylines that fail to demonstrate that Black people live fuller and more complex lives than found in the pages of these cheap and often insulting paperbacks. And the struggle to find a good read is also migrating to the magazine industry.

Vibe magazine went out of business recently---not that Vibe was that well written, but its demise is only a testament to how quickly and sadly the Black voice in print has diminished. And with Ebony in financial jeopardy, it’s only a matter of time before we potentially loose a Black publication that has been a staple (typos and all) in African American households since the prelude to the civil rights movement.

So what’s an avid reader who wants to support Black lit to do? I for one have taken to British novels, involuntarily abandoning a genre that just doesn’t cater to an audience who wants to be creatively entertained and transported to a world that captivatingly explores the many facets of the Black experience.

So what will you do? Will you support the paltry offerings from the Black publishing world or find other alternatives to satisfy your cultural literary cravings? What do you think about the state of African American literature?