Monthly archive of March 2006
My Two Cents on BET J
The premiere episode of the television series "My Two Cents" airs tonight on the newly relaunched BET J channel. The show will look at race, pop culture and current events and will run with different episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays. Look for me on the first two episodes of the show this week. The show also features a rotating panel of co-hosts.
The new BET J features a collection of original and acquired programming for the 35 and over crowd. Music will also be a big part of my new show. "My Two Cents" will feature colorful conversation mixed in with popular music videos. Check it out tonight at 9 Eastern.
Posted in pop culture on March 1 2006, 8:02AM | Read More | Comments (9)
Mission Impossible II
President Bush made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today, his first visit to the country that the U.S. invaded after the September 11 attacks. In a sign of the political instability that still exists in the country, Bush's five-hour visit was shrouded in secrecy until the last minute.
Meanwhile, Iraq has exploded to the verge of civil war, the prospect of wider Middle East peace seems lost in Israel, and the American public is losing faith in President Bush. Even members of the military are questioning their commander-in-chief. A new poll indicates that 3/4ths of the service members stationed in Iraq disagree with President Bush's argument that withdrawal from that country would dishonor U.S. troops who have died there.
Posted in politics on March 1 2006, 9:36AM | Read More | Comments (10)
Carnival Draws To A Close
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- Carnival is now over and Ash Wednesday has come and gone. This is the last week of my trip here, and I am posting 19 more photos on my site. Today's photos are all posted in the Photo Section of the site.
Posted in pop culture on March 2 2006, 4:12AM | Permalink
BET J Launches New Web Site
BET J has just launched a new web site for the newly relaunched channel. The site features message boards, program schedules and background information about the network. And the new logo for the redesigned channel is now "Cool Like Dat," an apparent reference to the popular line in the Digable Planets' song "Rebirth of Slick."
New programs on the channel include "Video Soul Gold," "Short Film Showcase" and "My Two Cents," a talk show that I co-host on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
Posted in pop culture on March 3 2006, 4:00AM | Permalink
Pimp My Oscars
It was an incredible night in Hollywood when Three 6 Mafia won the Academy Award for best original song. Here's how it happened. Around 10:17 p.m., rap artist and actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges ("Crash") introduced the third nominee in the best original song category. The song was "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" from the movie "Hustle and Flow."
Said Ludacris, "Now I know that may be a shocking title for some of you, but you got to consider some of the songs that have won Oscars in the past, like 'The Morning After,' 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight,' 'All The Way,' 'Shaft.' So you can't judge a song by its title. Can you?"
Posted in movies on March 6 2006, 12:37PM | Read More | Comments (47)
Lambda Literary Finalists Announced
The finalists for the annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced over the weekend. The awards celebrate achievements in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) literature for books published in 2005. Among this year's nominees are Samiya Bashir, Randy Boyd, Keith Boykin, Octavia Butler, Thomas Glave, E. Lynn Harris, Craig Hickman, June Jordan, Dwight A. McBride and Emanuel Xavier. The winners will be announced May 18 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
E. Lynn Harris was nominated in the anthology category for Freedom in the Village. In poetry, Samiya Bashir was nominated for Where the Apple Falls and June Jordan was nominated for Directed by Desire. Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch by Dwight A. McBride was nominated in LGBT studies, and Beyond The Down Low by Keith Boykin was nominated in the nonfiction category along with Words to Our Now by Thomas Glave.
Posted in books on March 6 2006, 3:03PM | Read More | Comments (6)
Fifteen Years Out of the Closet
Fifteen years ago this month I made a decision that changed my life forever. I came out of the closet. Although it's hard to remember what my life was like before I came out, there was a time when everyone did not know. Today I remember what it was like during that fateful few weeks in March and April of 1991.
I was a second-year student at Harvard Law School. I left the gym on campus one day when I noticed a beautiful man with a great body walking past me. I turned and looked. He was going to the gym I had just left. I thought about turning around and going back in but decided against it.
A few days later I met the man at a meeting at the Black Law Students Association office. I was drawn to him immediately, but I never said a word. I knew I would see him again at the gym. And I did.
Posted in sexuality on March 7 2006, 8:43AM | Read More | Comments (48)
He Told Our Stories
He was the most famous African American photographer of the 20th century. He captured images of black America that few other photographers would ever see, and in the process of developing his craft he told our stories. His name was Gordon Parks. After a long career, he died yesterday. He was 93.
Gordon Parks influenced so many young black photographers that the only way to pay tribute to him is to speak to the photographers themselves. Last night I spoke to three well-known black photographers and asked them for their thoughts on Gordon Parks. The photographers are Charzette Torrence (Charlie T) in New York, Israel Wright in Chicago and Duane Cramer in San Francisco. This is what they had to say.
Posted in pop culture on March 8 2006, 1:08AM | Read More | Comments (7)
The Five People You Meet in Rio
There's a little strip in Rio where it all comes together. It's in a beautiful place called Ipanema, right next to Copacabana. There the beautiful Brazilian men, women and children, dressed in their bathing suits and bikinis, seem to stroll through the streets until late at night. Some live there, but many others come for holiday to lounge at the local bars and dine at the outdoor cafes and restaurants.
The strip is only three blocks long. It runs along a street called Farme de Amoedo. It starts at the beach, where the warm South American waters of the Atlantic Ocean crash their giant waves along the shore. Across the sand, over the boardwalk, it extends past the busy intersections at Viera Souto and Visconde de Piraja, and up to a little bar and restaurant called Bofetada near Barão da Torre. It was in that three block strip where I met them. If you go to Rio and you visit that area of Ipanema, you can't miss them. They are the five people you meet in Rio.
Posted in pop culture on March 8 2006, 10:54AM | Read More | Comments (20)
And Then There's Claude
That's the way I introduced Claude Allen almost three years ago on this site. Then he was a rising star in the GOP, a black Republican in the Bush Administration on his way to the top. That all changed last week after the announcement that Allen had been arrested for stealing merchandise from Target and Hecht's. Given my criticism of Allen in the past, you might expect me to stick it to him today. But that's not my purpose. It seems to me the issue today is much bigger than Claude Allen.
Posted in politics on March 13 2006, 10:37AM | Read More | Comments (35)
Fighting Spam or Feeding AOL?
I have been a loyal AOL user for more than 10 years now. I watched the ups and downs of the company as it grew from a startup Internet Service Provider to a full-fledged media company producing and promoting content with its partner Time Warner. I have not always been happy with the service provided by the company, but I have held on for years mostly to avoid changing my email address. But the recent news that AOL may begin charging to send email is disturbing enough to make me jump ship for good.
AOL and Yahoo recently disclosed that they are developing plans to charge companies to send email to AOL users. The plans were discussed as anti-spam measures to help consumers, but I'm not convinced that will be the effect. In fact, if the plans go through as announced, I think the result will be a new corporate trend toward the commercialization of previously free services on the Internet.
Posted in pop culture on March 14 2006, 10:27AM | Read More | Comments (3)
If We Have To Take Tomorrow
We're always looking for new voices to express new ideas that you don't hear in the mainstream media. So we were pleased to see the Black AIDS Institute announement of a new collection of writings for black gay and bisexual men this week. The book is called If We Have To Take Tomorrow, and it's edited by Frank Leon Roberts and Marvin K. White.
Billed as a follow up to the 2003 book Think Again, the new book is a result of a collaboration among several organizations, spearheaded by the Institute for Gay Men's Health and including AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Black AIDS Institute, Gay Men's Health Crisis, the National Black Justice Coalition, the New York State Black Gay Network.
Posted in sexuality on March 14 2006, 1:24PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Montel Speaks Out
I wasn't planning on posting anymore about yesterday's Montel Williams Show, but Jeff Hobbs in Seattle sent me these pictures that reminded me of a few points I wanted to make. To be honest, I was very surprised by yesterday's show.
What surprised me was not Montel's passion. I had seen that many times before on "American Candidate." What surprised me was his viewpoint. The man I once believed to be a fairly conservative ex-soldier spent most of the hour criticizing the Bush Administration for incompetence and arrogance. And he wasn't alone. Even Lou Dobbs seemed to agree with Montel. The businessman anchor who hosted CNN's "Moneyline" show before it became "Lou Dobbs Tonight," criticized the president on everything from the Iraq war to the Dubai ports deal to the response to Hurricane Katrina. My, how far we have come.
Posted in politics on March 15 2006, 8:49AM | Read More | Comments (16)
Diddy's Secret Plan To End The War
His image is already plastered over Times Square at 48th Street. Now he's moving down to 34th Street. I'm talking about Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Walking through Macy's the other day, I realize that Diddy has now taken over the world's largest department store. At least that's the way it felt on the ground level from the entrance on 6th Avenue to the exit on 7th Avenue. Diddy's new fragrance, Unforgivable, was everywhere, on the counters and in the aisles with posters hanging on the walls and from the ceiling.
It seems to be a part of Diddy's plan to take over the world, industry by industry. First he was a party promoter, then he was a record producer, then he was a recording artist, and next a fashion designer. Then he starred in a Broadway show, ran a marathon, launched a voter registration campaign and made a band on his own reality show. Now he's not only selling fragrances, he's starting a new cooking show. When does this man ever sleep?
Posted in pop culture on March 16 2006, 10:43AM | Read More | Comments (13)
Paris Is Burning (Again)
Ahh, springtime in Paris. It brings to mind images of corner cafe on the Left Bank, romantic boat rides along the River Seine, and shopping at the stores alongside the Champs-Elysees. And what would Paris be without the image of police spraying tear gas on students in the streets. That's right. Nearly 200 people were arrested in student protests yesterday. Looks like you may want to hold off on that European vacation for a few days.
Just like last year, young people are concerned about the high unemployment rates. With the youth unemployment rate at 23 per cent, about 250,000 students took to the streets of Paris and other cities yesterday to protest a new law that would make it easier to fire young people. The law will allow companies to fire employees 25 and under "without cause" during their first two years of work. Set to go in effect in April, the law was approved after protests last fall from young people in low-income immigrant housing blocks, where the unemployment rate is higher than 40 per cent.
Posted in politics on March 17 2006, 10:10AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Click Here For A Real Surprise
Posted in sexuality on March 17 2006, 5:42PM | Read More | Comments (19)
Brokeback Backlash Backtrack
When it comes to movies, everybody’s a critic. And when it comes to the Oscars, there’s plenty of criticism to go around this year.
Some gays are upset that “Brokeback Mountain” lost to “Crash” for best picture. Others are upset that Felicity Huffman didn’t win best actress for her performance in TransAmerica. A few are concerned about the message sent by the selection of Philip Seymour Hoffman as best actor for his role as a manipulative gay writer in "Capote." And some blacks are upset that Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for their degrading song “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp.”
Posted in movies on March 20 2006, 12:49AM | Read More | Comments (31)
Meet The Mayor of Newark
Meet Sharpe James, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He's quite a character.
I first met Mayor James a few years ago at a silent auction during a benefit dinner where he seemed to be contemplating a bid on a signed Whitney Houston poster. Then one day I visited his office and looked over dozens of photos of the mayor posing with celebrities and famous athletes. The photos weren't in his office. They were in the public hallway, outside the mayor's executive suite. It seemed like an odd location to me, but I let it slip.
I haven't seen Mayor Sharpe James in person in awhile, but I did spot a couple of photos of him in last Friday's New York Times. That's the mayor pictured above, riding his bicycle through the corridors of City Hall. With the temperature outside in the 40s, unemployment raging and businesses closing, the 70-year-old mayor was riding around in biking shorts, sunglasses and a tank top. As supporters shouted "The champ is here," the mayor delivered the required petitions to run for re-election.
Posted in politics on March 20 2006, 12:27PM | Read More | Comments (12)
Can Cartoons Cause This Much Trouble?
Remember the day when cartoons were simple mindless animated diversions that didn't delve into politics? Think hard. Neither do I. For as long as I remember, American cartoons from "Bugs Bunny" to "The Jetsons" to "Scooby Doo" have reinforced nationalist xenophobia, traditional gender roles and heterosexist patriarchy? Politics has always been a part of our cartoons, but it usually took place much more subtly than in today's cartoons.
Then as now, cartoons were usually written by adults, even though they were targeted toward children. The line between adult and children's entertainment was always somewhat blurred, but today's animated television shows are so political that you have to wonder if the kids even get it. Shows like "Family Guy" feature cute talking dogs and surprisingly articulate infants as characters who appeal to children, but the core of that show and others is really about politics.
Posted in pop culture on March 21 2006, 4:38AM | Read More | Comments (10)
Oprah's Makeup Artist: Before & After
What do you get when you combine a well-known black gay makeup artist with a well-known black billionaire and a new anti-aging skin care system? Tuesday's Oprah Winfrey Show. Yesterday on Oprah, we got to see the transformation of Oprah's makeup artist, Reggie Wells, after he went through a new skin care treatment called Restylane, which is designed to removed unwanted lines and wrinkles from the face.
During the show, Oprah revealed that Wells, an Emmy nominated professional, had once considered a full face lift. Instead, he tried the new treatment, which involved injections in his face to help smooth the skin and remove the bags under his eyes. Now he recommends the treatment to his celebrity clients, in addition to using it himself. When asked by Oprah during the show if he was happy with the results, Wells replied that he was "happy as a lark."
Posted in pop culture on March 22 2006, 1:47AM | Read More | Comments (22)
Men We Love
As you can tell from the new featured picks on the left, we like LL Cool J and Hill Harper. Both men have been around for awhile and managed to stay young and timeless. And both men have new projects set to be released next month. Hill has a new book and LL has a new CD.
I went to Harvard with Hill Harper and I was even impressed with him back then. I went to several of his performances on campus and in the Boston area, and he was always amazing to watch. Now it seems he gets younger by the year.
The same is true for LL Cool J. I love the fact that he has been able to keep himself relevant for so long in his career. For the past three decades, LL Cool J has been at the top of his game in hip hop. With a rock hard body and radio-friendly lyrics, he's found a dynamite recipe for success.
Posted in pop culture on March 22 2006, 12:02PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Remembering the 'Good Times'
Last night's TV Land Awards ceremony brought back pleasant memories of days long past. One of the big treats of the night was the presentation of the Impact Award, which was given out to the cast of the 1970s television series "Good Times." From 1974 to 1979, Florida, James, JJ, Thelma, Michael, Willona and Bookman managed to survive temporary layoffs, easy credit ripoffs and other woes and still celebrate the good times in a Chicago housing project.
It reminded me of an old debate that used to take place among black people comparing the "Good Times" family with the "Cosby" family. Some lauded the Evans family for their love and spirit in the midst of poverty, while others praised the Cosby clan for representing a successful black upper middle-class family. To be honest, I liked "The Jeffersons" and "Sanford & Son" better than either of the other two shows, but I understood the division between the "Good Times" fans and the "Cosby" fans.
Posted in pop culture on March 23 2006, 11:55AM | Read More | Comments (29)
Cheney's Here, Flip the Channel
How you can tell when Dick Cheney comes to town? The electric bill goes way up. That's what we learned yesterday when the Smoking Gun web site released a copy of an actual hotel contract rider for Vice President Cheney. We learned that the former head of the president's energy task force apparently doesn't believe in conserving energy. Instead, he demands that all lights be turned on before he arrives in his hotel room (known in Cheney land as his "downtime suite").
The temperature must be set to a cool but comfortable 68 degrees. By the way, I write this entry from the luxury of a Best Western Motel in Connecticut, where I'm town for a speech I gave this morning and for a panel discussion this afternoon. So I can definitely understand the need for a comfortable space when you're on the road. But there was one contract requirement that struck me as odd. The Vice President insists that all TVs be turned on and tuned to the Fox News Channel.
Posted in politics on March 24 2006, 11:43AM | Read More | Comments (12)
Return of the Down Low
It's back. Twenty five years after the AIDS epidemic, five years after the initial media frenzy, four years after the E.R. episode, three years after the New York Times Magazine story, two years after the Oprah episode, one year after Terry McMillan, the down low returns again this week like clockwork.
The latest discussion takes place on a BET News special called "The Down Low Exposed." The Hollywood Reporter describes the special as "more music- and graphic-intensive than you would expect a news special to be" and says the show is "best at capturing emotion, including the self-denial of down-low men and the anger of women who feel betrayed by them." But don't expect a lot of new information. "Without any real idea of how widespread or pervasive the down-low lifestyle is, it quickly diffuses its focus to cover a broad array of topics," according to the Reporter.
Posted in sexuality on March 27 2006, 11:13AM | Read More | Comments (48)
Introducing Marcus Patrick
One of the many benefits of being married to a film producer is learning about fresh new talent and new faces. One such new face is Marcus Patrick, an actor, model and athlete who will be playing a role in the new Maurice Jamal film, Dirty Laundry.
At six feet, 200 pounds, Patrick is an imposing figure. That's even more the case when you consider that he's a former British Tae Kwon Do champion and a second degree black belt. In fact, his background reminds me of Mehcad Brooks, the Desperate Housewives star who started as an athlete and model before transitioning to acting. If history is any guide, we should be hearing a lot from Marcus Patrick in the days to come.
Click on any of the photos above or below to see more of Marcus Patrick.
Posted in movies on March 28 2006, 11:07AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Brokeback's Revenge
One of the many highlights of last night's GLAAD Media Awards was the not so surprising selection of "Brokeback Mountain" as the 2005 film of the year. Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee received two standing ovations when he accepted the award and spoke movingly about receiving a GLAAD Award for his film "The Wedding Banquet" many years ago. Although the selection of "Brokeback" was expected, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the audience when the winner was finally announced. What didn't happen at the Academy Awards did happen at the GLAAD Awards.
The GLAAD Awards bring out celebrities, major donors and thousands of people every year to raise millions of dollars for the organization. The last time I spoke at a GLAAD Awards ceremony was years ago in the 1990s in Washington, DC. The awards have changed a lot since then, but I discovered last night that they're a lot more fun now.
Posted in pop culture on March 28 2006, 12:25PM | Read More | Comments (5)
Shadowboxing with Lee Daniels
I seem to run into Lee Daniels at the most unexpected times and places. One day I ran into him as he was parking his car near my house. Another time I bumped into him on the corner and we ended up sharing a cab downtown. And then there was the time when I was strolling through the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas last December when Nathan and I looked outside the window and there was Lee.
He was in the Bahamas that week for the Bahamas International Film Festival, an event I had never heard of before that day. But we hung out, went to a couple of events together, and he invited us to a screening of his upcoming movie, Shadowboxer. We missed the screening because the cab driver took us to the wrong theater, so we had to go to a special press screening the following day. Lee had already produced Monster's Ball and The Woodsman by this time, so the media were all too eager to see what else he had in the works.
Posted in movies on March 29 2006, 12:17AM | Read More | Comments (5)
The Week In Review
A Harlem minister, Rev. Phillip Mann of Blessed Trinity Baptist Church, may have been murdered because he was gay. Admitted killer David Jordan claims it was self defense and that the minister was making sexual advances. The reverend had helped the former homeless man get back on his feet but Jordan denies allegations that the two had been involved in a relationship: "I'm not homosexual," he said. Sounds like another case of the "gay panic" defense.
A new black gay men's health group has been formed that will focus on HIV/AIDS and other health disparities. Ernest Hopkins, Mark Colomb and Earl Fowlkes will serve as officers.
Busta Rhymes has been criticized for homophobic lyrics in a new remix song he made. Meanwhile, Towleroad reports another homophobic incident with Busta down at the Winter Music Conference in Miami.
New York's fabulous drag queen Harmonica Sunbeam is on hiatus and needs support. On her website, she writes: "There are many rumors out there as we speak but today I will tell you the deal. For the last 8 months i have been fighting a vicious battle with hiv/aids. At the current time things are somewhat bleak but I'm sure God will see me through this and bring me back to the stage and the loving arms of my supporters if this is His will."
A verdict was reached in the Dwan Prince case. A jury found Steven Pomie guilty of beating Prince. Meanwhile, there are still no leads in the Rashawn Brazell case.
Sharpe James bows out of the mayor's race in Newark. Maybe he realized it was time for him to go, or maybe he read the criticism about him on this site.
And finally, while we're on the subject of good news, black gay Broadway actor Jermaine Taylor will be a co-host of the new GSN TV series "I've Got A Secret." Taylor joins Frank DeCaro, Suzanne Westenhoefer and Billy Bean in this remake of the 1950s television series.
Posted in pop culture on March 29 2006, 10:54AM | Permalink
The Democrats Are Back
If there's one thing George W. Bush has done well, he has united the Democratic Party against him. And even more importantly, he has helped to create more Democrats than the Democrats could have done on their own. That's the conclusion to be drawn from a new Gallup poll that shows a potentially historic shift from the GOP to the Democrats.
Although Republicans had won the support of most Americans in recent years, that trend is now moving the other direction. A third of all Americans called themselves Democrats in the latest Gallup poll, while the Republicans were close behind. But the big difference is with the Independents, who are now trending toward the left. More people identify themselves as Independent than as members of one of the two main political parties. And when Independents were asked which direction they leaned, almost half of all Americans identified as Democrat and only 42 percent called themselves Republicans, a dramatic shift from the numbers just last year.
Posted in politics on March 30 2006, 10:31AM | Read More | Comments (15)
