Just Some Thoughts

-I recently saw Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” on BET. Unlike MTV, who doesn’t show the video before 6 pm Eastern time, BET shows it throughout the day. MTV airs a disclaimer from MTV News about the video before showing it. BET airs clips of Jay-Z talking before the video letting people know that him getting shot in the video was symbolic and after the video letting people know that he’s okay. BET airs a slightly different version of the video with some scenes replaced (shots of guys getting cleaned in a prison aren’t in the BET version) but the shooting is intact. In fact, there are more shots of women in the BET version than the MTV one. These two channels certainly handled that video differently.

-I have mentioned a few times on my blog about how advertising uses black people/culture in some not so good ways. From the Hot Salt ad with the black man with bucked eyes and a piece of chicken to the V8 commercial with Savion Glover tapdancing and portraying a white man who is energized when he drinks V8, these advertisements aren’t racist, but they definitely have issues. I’ve noticed more advertisements of note.

First up, is a commercial for the Mercury Grand Marquis. The commercial has various business people trying to close the trunks of their cars to no avail. Of course, the owner of the Mercury Grand Marquis has no trouble with his trunk. As the commercial ends, you think it will just end normally, with the whole “See Your Lincoln/Mercury Dealer” line. However, at the very end, they cut back to the black businessman who screams, runs, and then gets ready to jump on the trunk of his car to close it. The cut is very short...blink and you’ll miss it. I laughed like anything at that scene, despite that it had to be the black businessman who would go to that extreme. This is similar to the 7UP commercial which had the spokesman drive a truck with a basketball hoop at the end of it. Whoever made a slam dunk on that hoop would win a million dollars, and people try (and fail) to make it with hilarious results. Towards the end of this commercial, a black man dressed in a shirt and tie (and pouring some coffee) sees the truck out the window and runs out with a basketball (with his cup of coffee in his other hand) and jumps for the hoop...only to miss and destroy a lemonade stand. You know, I wonder if I should be happy these commercials portray black men as doing whatever it takes (no matter how crazy) to try and achieve their goals. Maybe there is a nice underlying message for once...

Another commercial I saw is just funny because of how silly it is. It’s a commercial for Skippy’s new Snack Bars. They have peanut butter and granola (yum). But what made this commercial funny is that it had computer animated elephants singing its praises reggae-style. That’s right...cartoon elephants singing reggae about a peanut butter snack bar. The elephants were even kind of dressed like people from “the islands.” Now, I have to wonder if the makers of this commercial realize that there actually is a dancehall/reggae artist by the name of Elephant Man. Talk about a perfect fit. Well, at least this commercial comes off slightly better than the one for Danimals XL. That one always made me laugh because of the hip-hop looking mascot, complete with a chain and a bucket hat.

-“America” doesn’t want another black American Idol winner. I said this when Jennifer Hudson was voted off and now I say it as LaToya London is voted off. Before watching the special tonight, I predicted that either Jasmine or Fantasia would be voted off. Fantasia was in the bottom two (as she has been for a couple of weeks) but LaToya was the one who was voted off.

This only means one thing...Diana DeGarmo will be the 3rd winner of American Idol. How? Well, she’s a very good singer (and better than Jasmine Trias), she’s young, and she has a clean image. Fantasia, who is probably the best singer left, won’t win because she’s a single mother. America won’t make a black single mother the winner of American Idol by any means. Jasmine isn’t really all that good, and it would look stupid for someone who is only “okay” to win the show. So, that leaves Diana.

Besides, winning this show doesn’t seem to really matter anyway. Clay Aiken is the highest selling artist who came from American Idol. The runner-up from the second season actually outsold both Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard. He was promoted more heavily than Ruben after last season’s American Idol...despite not winning. Frankly, the people behind this show can prop up whoever they want, Idol winner or not.

-I guess compared to Friends, Frasier is the red-headed stepchild of NBC, huh? And that rumor better not be true that Paramount is shopping around another show with Frasier in it for midseason. Sometimes, characters need to just end.

-Upon rewatching Kill Bill Volume 1 recently, I have to say that Volume 2 is definitely a better movie.

-My friend Chris (the black one for more clarification) will soon start reading War and Peace. For fun. And that’s not even the longest book he’s read...Gone With The Wind (at 1000 pages) tops that list. The only way I’ll ever be that close is when I finish the 4th and 5th Harry Potter books...or my one-volume edition of The Lord of The Rings. I really wish I could read at a faster speed.

-Nintendo’s new portable system the DS looks very cool. It has two screens (one of which is a touch screen), 4 face buttons, plays its own games and Game Boy/Game Boy Advance games, has wireless connectivity, and a microphone, jack for use in games or even chatting. Supposedly, it will be “affordable,” but I have heard rumors it could go for about $150 when it comes out.

Sony’s new portable system looks nice as well. It will be graphically superior to the Nintendo DS and can play movies and full-motion video. Of course, I’ll bet it will cost a good amount more than the Nintendo DS. Nintendo is the king of the portable market, having beaten such competitors as the Lynx, Game Gear (which I own), and the Turbo Grafx Express (who remembers that one?). Can Sony give the big N a run for its money? We’ll have to see. Until they both come out, I’m kind of reserving judgement...although I have wanted a GBA for a little while. With the DS coming out this year, I might as well get that.