...on whatever crosses my mind

Nas - 'Daughters'

I am endlessly fascinated with the way the record-buying public views Nas with a mixture of amusement and indifference. Unlike Kweli or Mos or Common or Tip, something about Nas's overtly political and heartfelt messages doesn't connect even though he's a better emcee by half. 

I say this because as usual people don't really like Nas' new song.

 

 

These people are crazy.

I Am Done with BET's "The Game", Finally

I missed last week's episode and have just finished watching the rerun before tonight's new episode.

And I'm done. Between this episode's treatment of Tasha Mack and the news that the show's stars, Tia Mowry Hardrict and Pooch Hall, will not be returning next season, I just can't.

I had hoped that Tasha and Pookie getting together would provide the writers an opportunity to resurrect the Tasha Mack that was so compelling on the CW's version.

But no. Now she is a sex addict.  It wasn't that she had distrust and anger issues with Coach T. It wasn't whatever broke her and Rick Fox up that has never been explained. Nope, now she's a ho. Now we are supposed to believe that she's always been motivated to pick men solely because of sex.  

Except nothing that the show has really done to date suggests this is anywhere near the case.

This is a manipulative, insulting and downright abusive and sexist treatment of the character of Tasha Mack. There is no reason for this to occur other than to create artificial conflict in the new relationship. But it would just be nice if the show would root these conflicts in the characters we know, rather than just try to be over the top and soapy.

I get that The Game is a different show from Girlfriends - which I believe to be the best black television show of the last decade - and I even somewhat kinda understand the desire to soap it up thinking that it would appeal to a broader audience even though it was a flagrant misread of the show's core  audience, but the treatment of Tasha Mack (and, to a lesser extent, Malik and Melanie) in the BET version is appalling and offensive in the extreme.

I didn't even watch tonight's episode. I'm done.

 

I'm sure folks have thoughts.  Share them with me in the comments.

Jay-Z on Gay Marriage

I just saw this on my Facebook timeline

 

 

There's some talk online about Jay-Z's endorsement being more powerful than Obama's. I don't really think that's terribly useful. These are two of the most culturally important black men in the world.  I guess I'd like to think of their endorsements as a one-two punch, rather than quibble about who will make the most individual impact.

That said, I'm struck by the simplicity and the almost nonchalance of Jigga here. Even though I know that's pretty much Shawn Carter's demeanor whenever he talks.

Fuller thoughts to come...

'The Game': Season 5 Episode 18 Review

Thoughts on Episode 18 after the jump. As always, reviews of previous episodes can be found here.

 

Tweeting about Joss Whedon's Avengers, or a Lazy Review of a Great Film

I had planned to write a long-form review of Joss Whedon's Avengers like everyone else. But the truth is that the joy of the film for me was in the beauty of the writing, the sheer affection and love that Joss Whedon has for each and every character (even Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders in a performance dismissed by most critics), and the brilliant, detailed performances by a gifted cast (Joss conducts the actors like a symphony, in a way.)

But I had so much fun letting the film wash over me in pieces on Twitter last night, that I thought I'd preserve these largely disparate tweets in a post here. I may still write something after I see the film a few more times, but this post captures my experience with the first viewing of what I consider the best film I've seen since The Dark Knight.

Note - These are largely spoiler free, because I wasn't so much interested in the plot or the particulars of the story, so much as the way it all comes together so beautifully and little character moments that I thought were a perfect marriage of acting and writing. That said, if you want to see the film pure, bookmark my shit and come back after seeing the film.

Tweets after the jump.