Monthly archive of January 2007
Why Life Is Precious
If someone had told me on Christmas Eve that the godfather of soul, a former U.S. president, the former Iraqi president and a prominent NFL player would all be dead by New Year's Day, I'm not sure I would have believed it. But it happened. The godfather of soul, James Brown, died on Christmas Day. Former president Gerald Ford died the next day. Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed in Baghdad on new year's eve. Then we learned just hours before midnight that the American military death toll in Iraq had reached 3,000. And this morning we woke to the news that Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams had been killed in a drive-by shooting.
Although the news of the past week seems uniquely focused on death, I continue to believe that human life is precious. And I believe that we as humans are far too careless about life. For all the debate about abortion, there seems relatively little concern about protecting and valuing human life once a child is born. For all the concern about crime rates and murder, there seems to be precious little mainstream interest in protecting the lives of people like Sean Bell or Michael Sandy. And for all the rhetoric about creating a "culture of life," that culture seems altogether missing when we launch unnecessary wars that kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians and thousands of our own soldiers.
Posted on January 1 2007, 2:32PM | Read More | Comments (4)
Six Men Shot at Black Gay House Party
Six black men were shot at a gay house party in Chicago during the New Year's Eve weekend. Police said the shooting at a south side home may have been a hate crime, according to UPI. The six men were injured when two masked gunmen forcibly entered a house and opened fire during a party early Sunday. Police said the gunmen did not speak or use slurs toward any of the partygoers during the shooting. All six of the injured men were taken to local hospitals. Four were described as having non-life threatening injuries and two were in stable condition with chest wounds. All the victims are said to be African American, according to Rod 2.0.
About 100 people, mostly men, were at the party in a two-story house near the city’s Avalon Park neighborhood, according to the Associated Press. The gunmen began shooting around 5:30 a.m. in an apartment on the home’s first floor on South Woodlawn Avenue. No suspects had been arrested as of Monday, according to AP. But that's just the factual part of the story. What's troubling to me is the lack of concern by some of the community members. Wait till you see what some local residents had to say about the shooting.
Posted in sexuality on January 2 2007, 1:31AM | Read More | Comments (147)
Greetings from the Caribbean
St. George's, Grenada -- Greetings again from the Caribbean. A few days ago I was in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and took some photos from the Atlantis Submarine trip 80 feet below the water. Since that time we've been to Antigua, Barbados and Grenada. Here are the latest pics.
Posted on January 6 2007, 8:10AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Remembering Dr. King
"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land." -- Martin Luther King, Jr., April 3, 1968
Posted on January 15 2007, 12:27PM | Permalink
Complexions Wows New York
If there is one performance moment that could define the beauty of the Complexions dance company, it might be the moment when Desmond Richardson appears shirtless on stage in blue jeans during the company's run last week at New York's Joyce Theater.
Before he moves an inch of his taut, lithe body, the audience is already gasping in disbelief. It is not just Desmond's body that moves them. It is the knowledge that they are about to see one of the world's best dancers perform in a way that only he can. At the end of his performance of "Loose Change," Richardson brings choreographer Taye Diggs to the stage. But even Diggs's star power pales in comparison to the excitement of the performance itself.
Posted in theater on January 16 2007, 10:00AM | Read More | Comments (7)
The American Idol Awards
Thank God for the video recorder. Without it, I don't know if I could have made it through the entire 2-hour season premiere of American Idol last night. With the digital video recorder remote in my hand, however, I was able to fast forward past some of the most excruciating moments and really enjoy the kickoff to season 6. After an 8-month hiatus, Simon, Paula and Randy are back on the screen every week, and last night they added country singer Jewel to the audition panel.
But wait there's more. Simon announced last night that week 7 of the show will be "Abba week" (is that really necessary?), and later in the evening Diana Ross (who still hasn't seen "Dreamgirls") announced on "Late Night with David Letterman" that she will serve as an Idol "mentor" this year. It's all shaping up to be a very interesting season. So with all that in mind, I put together my very own awards for the best and worst of last night's audition performances...
Posted in pop culture on January 17 2007, 10:10AM | Read More | Comments (10)
Rev. Kev's Cure for the BGM Blues
I've known Kevin Taylor since the days when we both lived in Washington, D.C. Back then, when BET planned to air a controversial music video from reggae artist Buju Banton, Kevin was the one on the inside who shut it down. Kevin was always an inside/outside man, comfortable working in the system at the same time he was challenging it.
Kevin has also been something of an eclectic enigma, not easily categorized into a simple box. He's worked in television, in the music industry, in publishing, and even in the church. They don't call him "Rev. Kev" for nothing. His ministerial days date back to his experience in Washington when he was working alongside Rev. Rainey Cheeks. Now Kevin is back on the radar screen with his new book, Jaded, a story that looks into the question of why so many black gay men seem so jaded about life. With that in mind, I decided to sit down with Kevin for a one-on-one interview.
Posted in books on January 18 2007, 12:45PM | Read More | Comments (22)
There's Something About Isaiah
There's something about Isaiah Washington that stirs up controversy about sexuality. A year ago I posted an article on this site about Black Men And AIDS and used a stock photo of Isaiah Washington playing the role of Dr. Preston Burke on the hit TV show "Grey's Anatomy." The point was to show a black male doctor, but the photo led to a torrent of critical comments questioning why I would use Washington's image to talk about AIDS and sexuality.
Now it seems that Washington and his TV co-star T.R. Knight have developed a feud of their own about Knight's sexuality. Knight came out of the closet recently after Washington reportedly called him a "faggot" and created tension in the cast. Then when Grey's Anatomy won an award at the Golden Globes on Monday, Washington stepped to the reporters at a media interview and denied calling Knight a "faggot." The use of the term again, and his denial of the earlier statement, set off a whole new round of controversy, and ultimately Washington issued an apology last night. Which leads me to wonder: Is this much ado about nothing or a real controversy?
Posted in sexuality on January 19 2007, 11:56AM | Read More | Comments (144)
Now It's A Race
In the past week, we've seen three exciting new candidates lining up to run for president on the Democratic side. Senator Barack Obama led the way with an announcement on Tuesday on his web site. Senator Hillary Clinton followed suit on Saturday with her own web site announcement. And then Governor Bill Richardson took to the Internet on Sunday to launch his presidential exploratory committee. Each candidate is a serious contender for the Democratic nomination, and that means big change could be in store for the party.
With a woman, an African American and a Latino candidate now all poised to run, it seems highly likely that there will be a woman or a minority candidate on the Democratic ticket next year. Even if none of these three candidates should win the nomination, it seems inevitable that one of them almost certainly will be chosen at least as the party's vice presidential candidate. Combined, the three candidates represent three big constituencies that form the base of the Democratic Party. So if they each run a credible campaign and none of them ends up on the ballot next year, the base will be asking some serious questions.
Posted in politics on January 22 2007, 12:01AM | Read More | Comments (14)
New Year, New Love
Kenneth Winfrey Reports
Hello from New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. It's been a couple of months since you all have heard from me. I’ve kept up as much as I can, but I’ve been very quiet. You may notice the sharp decline in posts here and on the message board. I’m OK. It’s just that I've been busy. I've also fallen in love--twice.
The first love affair ended too soon, if that's what you wanna call it. It was a professional one that began when a curious fellow approached me about a business deal that would help me further establish myself as a writer. The details aren’t important, but just let me say that I was truly in love with the idea. It sounded so great at the beginning, and then it turned sour to something that looked more like the one-sided relationships musicians have with their money-hungry managers. Basically, the way it would end up, I'd be doing all the work, only to hope to see a penny or two eventually.
Posted on January 23 2007, 11:51AM | Read More | Comments (22)
So What Did You Think?
Washington -- I think I picked the worst possible time to come to the nation's capital. Monday my hotel was overrun by anti-abortion protesters who had come to town by the busloads to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Tuesday the city was deep in the throes of the State of the Union, which brings together the leaders from all three branches of government to one building.
Last night the president gave his penultimate State of the Union address. He talked about health care, immigration, energy policy and other domestic issues, but the real issue on the public's mind was Iraq. The president said we cannot afford to fail in Iraq, but he did not actually convince a lot of people that he had a plan to win. So now that the State of the Union is over, what did you think? Did you watch? Did you believe the president? What did you think about Nancy Pelosi? Just a few questions to tap into the pulse of the community here.
Posted in politics on January 24 2007, 12:09AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Noah's Arc Canceled; Film Planned Instead
It's now official. "Noah's Arc" will not be returning to LOGO this year for a third season. That seems to contradict the information given to NPR earlier this week that the show would be returning. But oddly enough, the network never actually made the announcement about the cancellation itself. Instead, the information came from the actors on the show, who confirmed that they had been told recently that the show was canceled. Instead of announcing the cancellation, LOGO announced yesterday that it plans to make a film version of "Noah's Arc" for theatrical release.
I have had a positive and longstanding relationship with LOGO from my work with the network, but I have to admit that this decision seems unusual. The press release announcing the new film describes the TV show on which it will be based as LOGO's "hit flagship series about four African American gay friends in Los Angeles." But if that's the case, why remove a hit when it's still the most popular show on the network? "Noah’s Arc will join 'Sex and the City,' 'Star Trek' and 'The Simpsons' as yet another fan-driven series finding a home at the multiplex," the release said. I'm not sure that's a good comparison.
Posted in pop culture on January 25 2007, 9:57AM | Read More | Comments (169)
Barack Obama, Blacks and Harvard Law
The big political story of the past few days is Barack Obama's relations with black America. On Thursday, the Washington Post published a new poll that showed Hillary Clinton does significantly better with black voters than Obama does. Black Democrats in the poll chose Clinton by a 3-1 margin, 60 percent to 20 percent. That apparently has sped up a flurry of media interest about Obama's relationships with blacks.
In the past few days, both the New York Times and the Boston Globe have contacted me to find out what Barack Obama was like when we were in law school together. Here's the official story.
I attended Harvard Law School for 2 years with Barack. He graduated in 1991. I graduated in 1992. We were not close friends, but we were both well known on campus for entirely different reasons. Barack was something of a celebrity on campus even in law school. That's because he was the first black student elected as president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. I, on the other hand, was a campus activist, deeply involved in the movement for faculty diversity.
Posted in politics·race on January 26 2007, 10:45AM | Read More | Comments (26)
Serena Makes A Comeback
They said it couldn't be done, but Serena Williams proved them wrong. They said she had given up on tennis, but Serena Williams showed them she still had it. They said her heart wasn't in it, but Serena Williams showed that it was. In a stunning upset, Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open women’s final on Saturday. Her 6-1, 6-2 victory took just an hour.
The New York Times called it "one of the most remarkable comebacks in tennis history and it came against the young woman who will regain the No. 1 ranking on Monday." It was Serena's eighth Grand Slam singles title and her third Australian Open title. I must admit I was very impressed to see Serena win, but I am almost equally impressed by the size of her right bicep in the photo above, taken by Clive Brunskill for Getty Images. I'm not sure if that's an optical illusion or her actual arm, but those arms alone could intimidate many an opponent. Either way, congratulations to Serena.
Posted in sports on January 27 2007, 12:25AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Should Offensive Words Be Banned?
Should words like "nigger" and "faggot" be prohibited in public places? That's the question I will be discussing tonight on Paula Zahn Now on CNN. "They are words that cut like a knife," says the official CNN description of the show. "But should derogatory statements be banned?"
In the wake of the Isaiah Washington and Michael Richards episodes, everyone is talking about hate speech. I've written about these two incidents before and criticized both Washington and Richards for their inflammatory language. But what other consequences, if any, should they face? As a general rule, I believe in free speech, and I usually do not support efforts to ban language, even if that language is offensive to me. And by the way, both "nigger" and "faggot" are offensive to me. But just because the words should not be banned doesn't mean the people who use those words harmfully should not suffer consequences.
Posted in pop culture on January 29 2007, 10:37AM | Read More | Comments (54)
Not To Beat A Dead Horse But...
The news yesterday afternoon was shocking. At 12:59, CNN sent me a "breaking news" email alert. I opened the email, stunned by what I read inside: "The Associated Press reports Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized this morning, according to one of the horse's co-owners." Wait a minute, I thought to myself. That's it? That's the breaking news? I mean I understand it's a very rare horse that can win America's most celebrated horse race, and I know there's a lot of money to be made off of this animal, but still. It's a horse. Is this really breaking news?
Let me say upfront that I have nothing against horses. My grandfather used to own a horse, which passed to my father when my grandfather died. I remember going to the horse ranch out in the country to ride the horse a few times when I was a young child. Ever since that time, I have always loved horses and horseback riding. I'm not sure if the horses love it, but when the horse really starts to gallop, there's an exhilarating connection between man and animal. But as much as I love horses, I can't understand why a horse would get more news coverage than a human.
Posted in sports on January 30 2007, 11:19AM | Read More | Comments (20)
A Month of Firsts
In the same month in which two black football coaches won the right to face off for the first time in the Super Bowl and a prominent black senator announced a serious bid for the presidency, the New York Times has hired a black editor to become its new Washington Bureau Chief. Dean Baquet, the former top editor at the Los Angeles Times, "would now appear to be in the running to succeed [Bill] Keller whenever he steps down as executive editor," the Times reported today.
These are positive developments for African Americans who are rising to the top levels of power and responsibility in America. Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy are breaking down barriers in professional sports. Barack Obama and Condoleezza Rice are breaking down barriers in politics and public service. Oprah Winfrey, the richest woman in entertainment, is breaking down barriers in mainstream media. And Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons and American Express CEO Ken Chenault are breaking down barriers in the business world. But beneath the silver lining, there is still a cloud.
Posted in politics on January 31 2007, 11:25AM | Read More | Comments (8)
