Spreading The Love

I've got a lot of scriptwork to master today plus an impromptu birthday event to plan for tomorrow (Guess how old Im gonna be) so here's a few posts from some of my favourite blogs. .

Very Smart Brothers - I'm So Grown (Extended)

Christina Rants - I'm Back

Complex Simplicity - Friends 1: Etiquette & Friends 2: Rules of Engagement

It's Not The Way It Has To Go, Just What I Prefer - Girl I Don't Care About How Good You Look, Impress Me, Show Me A Pay Stub

"Blogs are whatever we make them, defining 'blog' is a fool's errand"

Hey!! Where did all the black sitcoms go?....Revisited

Last year at this exact same time I wrote an article about the decrease in black sitcoms (right here) and spoke about how they were hanging on to a thread with only The Game and Everybody Hates Chris as the portioned genre's sole representatives. A year on and as of today US & UK have NO black sitcoms left. Stateside, The CW Channel announced that The Game would not be renewed for a fourth season nor will Everybody Hates Chris for a fifth one leaving the country with only re-runs and the occasional reality shows. How did it get to this?



What happened to the plethora of writers/creators that made such great shows as Girlfriends, My Wife & Kids or One on One.....nothing. So why no shows? The networks will tell you lack of viewers which would be true in the result of any cancellation of any sitcom but it's a little bit deeper than that. I'm gonna try and steer clear from the racism route but you have to pay attention to how TV execs minds work when it comes to ethnic representation. In the US there are 5 networks that gather the most viewers of sitcoms...CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and CW. The first four I would class as primary networks as people watch everything on those channels where as CW would be a secondary network. When shows such as the Fresh Prince were at their peak they were being shown in the primary networks, which solidified more viewers and a bigger fan base. Fast forward to now and all the "ethnic" related comedies are being put on secondary networks; CW is a great network but with it's programming only marketed towards a certain target group it will always fall short especially if airing sitcoms up against other sitcom competitors on other channels.


Hilarious sitcoms such as Two & a Half Men & Scrubs are given even more chances to flourish because they're on primary networks. Its time for TV execs to stop putting black sitcoms in a box and actually air them to a wide range of viewers. UK's situation is even worse with Trouble (the only channel that showed more than two black sitcoms, re-runs or not) being taken off Sky leaving us with ANTM all day. We haven't seen a UK sitcom in 6 years and that was The Crouches (nothing to be proud of). I cant help but think the failure of The Crouches has made TV networks in the UK cautious and unwilling to risk another one.

So is this the last we've seen of a black sitcom anywhere period?

Click on the seasons to see The Game - Season 2 | Season 3

"All television is educational television. The question is, what is it teaching?"

Gear Grinders (As Inspired By VSB & Greggie)

Since I didnt join the "25 things you dont know about me" hype I thought I'd follow in the footsteps of VSB and Greggie and might aswell let you know what pretty much annoys me or Grinds My Gears.


What Grinds My Gears, Part 1, Take 1, Marker....Action!

1. When people say "Life is short", come on now what exactly is longer? Life moves at a fast pace but it aint short. It aint short when you're waiting for your payslip and you're only in the first week of the month is it?..thats what I thought

2. Skinny Jeans on dudes...yeah that aint remotely cool, I dont wanna see the outline of a guy's crotch. I know that stuff must be cutting blood circulation everywhere below the waist

3. Bluetooth Headsets: I didnt know people still rocked these until last week when I saw a cool guy, doing a cool guy walk, in his cool guy clothes, wearing a cool guy hat and talking the cool guy talk. By cool I mean moron

4. Girls who dont eat, why? thats like part of the trinity of human lifestyle..you eat, you Number 2 and you sleep!

5. The Train person: There's always that one person on the train on your way to work who either smells, talks too loud, plays stupid ass music on their phone or coughs and sneezes outward...no mouth/tissue cover up or nothing....The Swine Flu extortionist

6. I cant stand girls who whore themselves in the entertainment circuit. We all want success but earn it respectfully and with hard work, if you havent got the talent go on Big Brother

7. When girls say they'll pay as a test!! Why do that? Get a guy all curious until he says "no Im paying" and she's like "good"......Say you'll pay for me again and see what happens; I'll have your wallet crying

8. People that talk the talk but neeeever walk the walk this ranges from those "2000 and mine" peeps to people like Arsene Wenger and Ricky Hatton

9. Over-Twitterers: This doesn't refer to people who put up alot of twitter updates, it refers to people who put up alot of twitter updates about random crap. "just woke up, morning twitterers" "just put butter on my bread because I like butter" "my bread tasted good, because of the butter I like" "Have you ever wondered why butter is yellow?".........KILL YOURSELF!

10. Summers coming so expect muscle bound dudes with really tight tops. Listen we all like to look big but for the love of eyes please recognise that size "small" is for small people

11. Middle-aged people in clubs is not working for me Im sorry. I understand that they like to feel young and enjoy the music but I dont think Im ready to share a floor with one of Jesus' classmates

12. I dont like people with bad breath and they dont know it. Im a really nice person and used to hint at whether someone wanted a chewing gum but sometimes you just gotta throw it in their mouth, works wonders

13. Polo shirts should never be worn with the collar up! I've noticed that it's a common style...it's also poorthetic.

14. The stanky leg, I do not endorse this dance move in any way. It is ridiculous, where do they get this stuff from seriously!?

15. Dry Music Video concepts are beginning to annoy me. Alot of work goes into making a video but you wouldnt guess from some of the stuff on TV. Directors need to be more creative or innovative. If not how about this for a crazy idea, follow the story the song depicts!

16. White cars: There's nothing wrong with these actually, my friend's gotta nice white car. But lets be honest if you're gonna be driving a white car on a regular basis it aint gonna stay crispy clean very long. Why buy it?

17. Follow Fashion is slyly annoying especially when it's pandemic fashion. Ed Hardy and Lyle & Scott must die

18. Im in a train station making my way home, I hear echoes of great music wave across the tiled walls, as I get to the escalator I see a man playing an instrument for money. I hold change in my hand look at him but carry on walking, why? because homeless people aren't meant to have such instruments and be well dressed and this dude is. Nonsense!

19. If I havent offered you my food, that means I dont want you to have ANY of my food. "Can I have some fo...NO!

20. UK Television. Has anyone in the history of life stared at a car for 5 seconds knowing it's going to knock them over even though they have time to move out the way? Yes...in Eastenders

"What annoyances are more painful than those of which we cannot complain?"

Mos Def - Casa Bey

Mr Def drops the first video from his anticpated Ecstatic album, I am definitely copping it. Are you?

Quote Of The Month

"Individual ideas, like breaths, are waiting to be drawn from unlimited supply"
Margaret Danner

Friday Means Throwback

Diverse artist, conscious & intelligent lyrics, love for the craft & master of the art. Mos Def is one of those Hip-Hop artists that will have longevity because of his dedication to Hip-Hop, his beefless career and because he's just that damn good. Today's Throwback is a personal favourite of mine; it's theraputic, inspiring, relaxing and nurturing. Despite Mos Def not rapping the track still reigns supreme due to it's poetic and tranquil substance. Word of advice, play this track as soon as you wake up, instant focus.

Mos Def - Umi Says

Make sure you pick up his album "Ecstatic" this year

"Life is a song of your choice"