THE THREE REASONS I WILL BE WATCHING THE OSCARS

I am all for boycotts to a make a stand against a social, economic, or political injustice.  The boycotts and sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement are perfect examples of making significant change by agitating the powers that be.  Those actions were for life or death issues.  Boycotting the Oscars is not. 



1.  Chris Rock is hosting.  He was hired way before Mrs. Pinkett-Smith decided her husband was shaded by not receiving a nomination for the concussion film.  I will not pass up a chance to see the brilliant and prophetic Chris Rock on stage.

2. Hollywood.   The movie industry is the problem for the lack of diversity in Hollywood not the Oscars,  You can't blame the child for failing if the teachers did not provide him with the knowledge required. Those who feel Hollywood has left them out have to make there own way.  People of East Indian descent did not wait for white Hollywood to capture them in film.  They created their beloved Bollywood.  The Nigerians have done the same with Nollywood. Check out www.irokotv.com and you will find a plethora of African movies. You have to make your own way in this world and not wait for others to validate your existence.

3.  Will Smith.  His not being nominated and a loving wife is what escalated the boycott.  I didn't see Concussion so it would be unfair for me to critique his performance.   I have seen several of his other movies and he is undeniably a charming and likable actor who makes a fine action hero; but Oscar-worthy performance has never popped in my head when watching his movies.  To be honest, until the not yet released Suicide Squad, I haven't had much interest in his film choices lately.   So like the original Aunt Viv his absence is not going to make me miss the Oscars.

I will probably tune in and after all my beloved Walking Dead is on tonight. If you are looking for some diversity that is the way to go. 

Bowie's Star Shined Bright

The passing of David Bowie last Sunday saddens me.  It is as if a light that illuminated the universe has dimmed.  I can't say I am a mega fan who owns every Bowie album or that I even got to see him live and in concert.  Despite that his music was part of the soundtrack of my youth.  His passing like Michael Jackson's makes me nostalgic for the way things were.  I am after all an eighties kid who grew up watching Bowie on MTV; the station that originally wouldn't play black artists but was fine playing the rock artists that were influenced by black music.

The Blues gave birth to a child and it was called Rock "n" Roll.  Bowie knew that and he respected those artists that paved the way for him.  One of my favorite songs of his is the rhythmic masterpiece, "Let's Dance".  I remember hearing it on R&B friendly radio stations WBLS and WKTU in New York city right along with a play list that included Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.  It was quite fitting, soul fans would have been familiar with his sound; earlier he was not afraid to make an appearance on Soul Train to share his soulful sounds of "Fame" with an audience he knew would appreciate it.

Some musicians make good music and it plays on the radio for a little awhile and then they disappear.  Then there are others who become icons that influence generations through art and their very existence.  Bowie was a chameleon who lived his life on his own terms.   He famously stated,  "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring.”  I am pretty sure Heaven just got a bit more exciting.

HIV NEVER LEFT

 

Yesterday Charlie Sheen revealed on NBC's"Today Show" that he was diagnosed with HIV about four years ago.  Sheen was never secretive about his risque dalliances with prostitutes and porn actresses. He gained quite a reputation as a wild party man who indulged in life's excesses.   Despite his sexual appetite and personal choices it was still unsettling to hear.  A virus that can lead to a premature death is enough to make you uneasy. 

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus first made headlines in the eighties. Initially it appeared as a "gay man's" disease. We found out that HIV could lead to AIDS which compromised a person's immune system leaving them vulnerable to opportunistic illnesses such as cancer. I grew up in New York where an AIDS epidemic erupted and decimated certain groups. The fear of this monster caused many to speculate about how it could be transmitted.  We knew that sex and needles could pass the disease from one person to another. Some believed it could also be caught from kissing, toilet seats, breathing  and maybe even a hug.  

I remember sitting in a health class at St. John's University and being told that the 4 H's were mostly susceptible to AIDS; Homosexuals, Heroin/Intravenous drug users, Hemophiliacs and Haitians. That news eventually made it to the streets and caused a panic.  Haitians took offense to being singled out and took to the streets. The images of  the Brooklyn Bridge appearing to buckle under their marching feet is still vivid in my mind.

Today we do know that anyone can contract HIV through unprotected sex, the sharing of needles and blood transfusions. There are drugs available today that can allow those infected to live long lives.  Magic Johnson is a prime example since he has lived with HIV for over 20 years now.   HIV/AIDS is not the death sentence it was over 30 years ago but it is still a chronic crisis lurks within all our communities.

ZOMBIES BEWARE THE BLACK WOMAN IS HERE!

I love Zombie movies. The fast pace and eminent danger the characters face is exhilarating. There is something about an apocalypse that would probably reveal what a human being is truly capable of.  Recently Black women have taken the forefront on the small screen when battling the undead. No characters represent a strong woman faced with fierce survival skills better than Michonne and Sasha from AMC's The Walking Dead and Warren from Z Nation on the SYFY network.  These sisters have miraculously survived the Black Horror Curse and have lived to see not only another episode, but another season. 

Michonne played by Dania Guiria on The Walking Dead is the baddest female or male you will ever see on the television screen.  When she wields her dual katana swords you know whatever is at the end of those blades is about to say goodbye from this world.   Sonequa Martin-Green plays Sasha the resilient stone-faced woman who will persevere by any means necessary. Over on the SYFY network Kelita Smith as Warren is the sexy take-control leader who can make putting a zombie down look effortless.  I cannot remember a time when Black female characters were so kick-ass on the small screen.  I hope it never ends.

Marcy Borders

Marcy Borders emerged from the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, covered in dust.  She was a 28 year-old woman that had recently started a new job. She survived that tragic day but her life was forever marred by her experience like so many others. Many of us can remember precisely where we were the day thousands of people senselessly lost their precious lives. I remember the sense of despair I felt as I waited to hear if my cousin who worked in the Twin Towers was okay.  She had gotten to work late and fortunately never entered the buildings, but she lost co-workers. Ms. Borders famous image, captured by photographer Stan Honda, was seen around the world and garnered her the name, "Dust Lady".  Unfortunately Ms. Borders succumbed to stomach cancer on August 24th of this year at the tender age of 42.

When people survive tragedies we tend to romanticize it.  How glorious that they made it out of dire circumstances with their lives.  Our perceptions are so influenced by the Hollywood happy ending that we choose to ignore the traumatic aftermath of a near death experience.  Post Traumatic Syndrome does not only affect the soldiers who survived the battlefield.  It is something that everyone who survives a tragedy or experiences a traumatic event, can relate to.   Ms. Borders' life after the Twin Towers fell was not a "happily ever after".  She became depressed and began smoking crack, no doubt to numb the pain.  Prior to passing on to the next life, she was unemployed and lacked proper health insurance as she battled the Big "C".  Many of those that emerged from those buildings have died due to illnesses that some believe were brought on by the toxins that inhabited the Towers.  I believe the stress of surviving such a horrendous event can eat away at someone and as the mind struggles with it, the body itself begins its own battle.

As we prepare to  mourn the lives lost on 9/11, we must remember those who survived and are continuously struggling with what happened 13 years ago.  Their lives were shattered and they are still piecing them together the best that they can. 

"IT DON'T MATTER IF YOUR'E BLACK OR WHITE?"

Rachel Dolezal, the president of the Spokane NAACP chapter, decided years ago she would assume the life of a black woman.  What led her to that is unclear at the moment.  Was it her divorce from a black man or did it start when her parents adopted black children? Could it be her time at Howard University or did she have a spiritual transformation after seeing a Beyonce concert? My heart says she has personality disorder but I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.

I was flabbergasted when I first heard this story.  I love being a black woman but what white woman in her  right mind would want to be one in such a racist world? Dealing with a misogynistic society just wasn't enough of a challenge?  My mind is swirling with all the times white women decided, " I could be a sister".  This story definitely deserves to be adapted to film. So who would be cast to play Ms. Dolezal?

1.  Maybe Iggy Azalea could star in the movie, she is already doing a minstrel act disguised as a rapper.  I heard her music career is on the decline.  She could now transition into acting and play Ms. Dolezal in the Lifetime movie.  She would have to work on her accent; not the Australian one but that fake "urban" one she pollutes the airwaves with.

2.   Or better yet perhaps Angelina Jolie she already played a mixed woman in the docudrama, "A Mighty Heart".  Jolie has one of Ms. Dolezal's hairstyles in that movie. She also adopted a daughter from Africa, so she has an inside perspective.

3. Fox News' beloved Stacey Dash would slay that role.  With a little makeup she could do some work.  It would be a stretch because it seems like she has an old southern white plantation woman trapped in her body. Dealing with unreality is her forte. I have confidence in her craft, after all she was practically a middle aged woman when she played a high school student in "Clueless".

4.  Like Ali did in "The Greatest", Ms. Dolezal could play herself.  She already has mastered the acting chops.  Her legendary performance screams Oscar nominee.  A little mid-western blond girl turns herself into a black woman who heads a NAACP chapter in a city where 1.9 % of the population is black. You couldn't make this stuff up. She could be the stylist as well.  Those intricate natural hair styles is what duped everyone. Standing Ovation!

Mosaic World

 

We do not live in a monolithic world.  Instead we exist in a realm of mosaic skin colors from the darkest ebony hue to the palest ivory colored skin.  The world is what it is and each and everyone of us has a preference of what we are attracted to.  My preference is a man that is physically attractive  and emotionally generous; stingy men need not apply.

These polls are probably flawed by the sheer limitation of the presumed demographic it surveyed. Of course, the sisters end up at the bottom of what is considered a desirable woman; and as usual our counterparts joining us in the basement of fire and desire, are Asian men.   Maybe Asian men and Black women should consider flipping the script and hooking up with one another more often.  Just a thought.  What flabbergasted me was that White women tumbled to third place.  What the hell is going on when Becky is not at the top of the dating food chain? 

Race was created by the European man.  Before he decided to divide and conquer the entire world and claim it as his own, people were tribal.  The European man's obsession with race has infiltrated every society in the Universe, but there is still hope and it exists within each and everyone of us. The right to choose who you love without any judgement should prevail. Let's add another amendment to the dating constitution: the right to be secure in your choice of who you decide to date without being judged by that individual's race and what society dictates.  When we allow this amendment to be self evident all races in the world of dating will be equal.  Amen.