Tha Darkside Vibe!

What Kate Does

2010-02-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hope you guys are surviving out there. This historic snow has shut most of us in for the longest time. Thank God we had a brand new episode of LOST last night to take our minds off the weather.

I have to be honest, I have never been a big fan of Kate on LOST, I always thought the performance from Evangeline Lilly was sort of one dimensional, but boy did she change my thinking about her acting. I thought this was a fantastic Kate-centric episode. Some very interesting developments with Kate and Sayiid. What was all that about Jack's sister? Hmm...read on my LOSTIES!

- Miss the small little clues from last night's episode. Don't fear, check out the easter eggs from What Kate Does.
Easter eggs

- Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen recap (fantastic and lenghty)
Doc Jensen recap

- LOST parody episode 11 ( I love these)
Episode 11

- LOST Untangled video recap of What Kate Does
Video review

- LOSTIES with Jed & Cara initial reaction to What Kate Does
LOSTIES intial reaction

- Next episode preview The Substitute
The Substitute

There you have it, quick but full of news. Definitely check out the easter eggs and see if you picked up on those small tidbits! Catch you next week!

EXCLUSIVE: Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris creators of Brimstone speak - Part I

2009-08-30T15:59:00.001-07:00

Every so often, a television show is produced that just changes the way you think what real television is all about. For me, that show was Brimstone. Created by the talented duo Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, Brimstone aired on the FOX network from October 1998 to February of 1999. As you can see, the show didn't last long, 13 episodes to be exact, but what a tremendous 13 episodes they were.

After the cancellation, I joined a campaign to bring the show back to network television. Although the campaign didn't get new episodes produced, we did get the SyFy Channel to show the already aired 13 episodes of the show. During the campaign, I never actually had the chance to speak with Ethan or Cyrus, but that has all changed. They were kind enough to sit down with me for a chat about Brimstone. I think this is the first time in years they have sat down to talk about Brimstone. I can't thank them enough for talking with me about Brimstone and what impact the show had on my life. The sad thing is that television shows such as Brimstone, never got the opportunity to grow and shine on network TV, but the show still lives on with thousands of fans who would love nothing more for Brimstone to come back. Brimstone was, in my opinion, is one of the top 10 shows of all time. If you haven't seen the show, I suggest you find a way to get it and watch it. You also will become and instant fan. Sit back and enjoy my conversation with Ethan & Cyrus.

**P.S. For some reason, the recording on my end wasn't cooperating with me and the sound is a bit distorted in parts, but I think it's a small price to pay to hear these outstanding gentlemen speak about Brimstone.

The Death of a King

2009-06-25T15:39:00.001-07:00

I sit here writing this blog absolutely stunned. In fact, I don't even know what to say. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is dead at age 50. Dead...Michael Jackson. I can't believe my fingers are typing those words. What can you say about Michael Jackson, a tremendous entertainer and at the same time a troubled man. There have been many things that have been said about Michael, some good, some bad, but one thing that can be said is that Michael Jackson was a legend. Wow, it seems so surreal that I sad he was a legend.

During his illustrious music career, Michael Jackson had entertained and thrilled millions and millions of people all over the world. He was the consummate performer. No one could touch him when it came to performing on stage. When the Jackson 5 first auditioned for Berry Gordy and Motown representatives..

Right there Berry Gordy knew he had something special in Michael Jackson. A bit of Little Richard, a bit of James Brown all rolled up into one small 8 year old package. Now, I don't know all the truth about what happened with Michael during his childhood, we have all heard the stories, but I am sure it had to be a hard and stressful time to be such a shy kid and thrust into the spotlight like he was. One thing he always had was his music.

I am not here to pass judgement on Michael when it comes to the charges and allegations levied against him over the years. I am not here to decide guilt or innocence, I am simply hear to say the we have lost probably the greatest entertainer in our history. It is a very, very sad day. What do you say when you get blindsided by something like this? All I can say is we all have our memories of Michael and his music. Many of his songs remind me of specific times in my life. Anytime I heard a Michael song, you can bet your ass I would be on the dance floor dancing like there was no tomorrow.

I am sure all of us at one time or another in our lives have tried to dance like Michael Jackson. The moonwalk, the leg kick, the scream We have all probably dressed like Michael Jackson, the glitter glove, the red thriller jacket. That shows you what kind of impact this man had on pop culture and what he meant to the world. Once the man took the stage at the Motown 25 special in the early 80's and first showed off the moonwalk, he had the world in the palms of his hands. Can you think of anyone else who has come close? It is just astonishing to me that the man who created the masterpiece Thriller 25 years ago is now dead. An album that is still the best selling album of all time, 50 million copies at last count.

I don't know what else to say. My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Jackson family. The world has lost a great entertainer...simple as that. Rest in peace Michael Jackson.

The King is Dead..

Check out the new BacktoFrankBlack podcast!!

2009-05-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

The new podcast for the BacktoFrankBlack webisite, The Millennium Group sessions is now available for your listening pleasure! Co-hosted by myself and James McLean, we spend an hour talking about everything and anything Millennium! Please click the link below to be sent to the BacktoFrankBlack website. We have several ways for you to get the podcast:

1) You can download a high quality mp3

2) You can download an enhnaced podcast which includes rare images

3) Subscribe to iTunes and download the podcast

BacktoFrankBlack website

Tha Darkside Vibe #56

2009-04-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

Show Intro

Audition for the movie Ghosts Don't Exist

99 Words for Boobs

Sexual Harrassment PSA

Sexual Harrassment "employee" informational video

Artist spotlight: MC Hammer

Lindsay Lohan and Tha Darkside's eHarmony ads

Show outro

Tha Darkside Vibe #55 - Exclusive interview with James McLean of BacktoFrankBlack.com

2009-04-14T14:50:00.001-07:00

This is a very special episode of Tha Darkside Vibe. I have an exclusive interview with one of the people behind the campaign to bring Millennium back to life. James McLean was kind enough to take time out and talk with me about all things Millennium. We discuss, the show itself, the fandom, thoughts about favorite episodes and seasons and where he thinks this campaign is going. Sit back an enjoy 45 minutes of nothing but Millennium!

Click the above picture to go directly to information about the book signing with Frank Spotniz and Chris Carter in LA next week!

BacktoFrankBlack campaign website

Here you can find the latest information, where to send your letters and much, much more

This Is Who We Are forums

A great place to meet and talk with Millennium fans. Get the latest scoops, fan fiction and downloads. If your new to Millennium, this should be one of your first stops.

Remember, we are the ones who can make enough noise to bring back Millennium. Please do your part and help support the campaign. Thank you.

In Memory of Lamya

2009-03-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

It is with deep regret that I pass on the information that I found out just today. Singer Lamya has passed away from a heart attack on January 9th 2009. Here is the statement from her official myspace page:

It is with deepest regret to have to inform you all that Lamya has passed away on the 8th of January 2009 in her home town Oman. She died of a heart attack. This has come as a great shock to all of her family and dear friends as I am sure it is to YOU her fans. We will dearly miss her and may God rest her soul.

The reason I am writing this blog is that I had the distinct honor of meeting her and seeing her perform live. I first became aware of Lamya when watching MTV and they were doing a segment on artists to watch. Lamya was one of the artists that was spotlighted and I instantly fell in love with her voice. After going to her website and listening to her album, I went out and purchased it. Needless to say, it was an amazing album. Her voice was a true instrument and anyone who listened knew it.

I found out that she was going to be performing in Arlington, Virginia at a spot called Iota. It's a local venue that has all kinds of live acts perform there. I was able to get to the club after work with some friend of mine for happy hour. During which Lamya and her band began to do a sound check for the show. I went inside to listen to the sound check. There were about 20 people in the bar at the time and none were really paying attention, except for me and another female. During the sound check, I was able to talk with her road manager who introduced me to her. She was so nice. Talked to me for about 10 minutes and signed my cd for me. I then stayed for her show and was blown away. Hearing her sing live was absolutely amazing. Her set lasted for about an hour and 20 minutes. After it was over, the road manager came over to me and asked did I want to come over and talk with them. He went to their tour bus and gave me a promotional video and some other items. Lamya continued to talk with me and also signed a poster for me. I was actually invited to hangout with the band. The all were very personable and were happy to converse with their fans.

If you have not picked up the only album she released, I suggest you do and listen to a true artist. The name of the album is Learning to Fall.

So, it comes as a complete shock to me to find out that she has passed away. My sympathies go out to her family and friends. You will be missed Lamya.

Please enjoy her biggest hit, Empires.

Bring Back Frank Black - A plea for the show Millennium Pt. 1

2009-03-09T16:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just never know what is going to happen to you on any given day. I remember on one particular Friday night, I was at home, didn't feel like going out with my friends. Just wanted to sit home and relax. Now, I have known in the past that Fridays are not a good night for television, so when I sat on my couch with the remote, I didn't expect much. But then something happened, without any real knowledge of the show, I saw this:

I was instantly hooked on the show by the opening itself. Then I find out that it stars one of my favorite actors on the planet, Lance Henriksen. Here is an actor that has been in dozens of movies and yet had not received the recognition I thought he deserved. So, I was extremely happy to see Lance with his own television series.

What can I say about Millennium? It is without a doubt one of the greatest shows ever to air on television. It's rare that I get involved and taken in by a show, but Millennium turned out to be one of those shows. It was such a dark show, nothing like this had ever been on television before. Right out of the gate, I knew this would be a problem for the show in the long run, but I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best. Although it was cancelled, we were lucky enough to get 3 amazing seasons from the show. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to find other passionate fans and talk with them about the show, our favorite moments, episodes and characters.

The with the release of the dvds, we were able to relive the magic of this great show. It reminds me of another show I was involved with that use to air with Millennium...Brimstone. Here was another show that I became very involved with and after only 13 episodes, FOX cancelled the show. Again, finding fans on the Internet that loved the show as much as I did, we banded together and started a campaign that eventually caught the eye of the President of the SciFi Channel, Bonnie Hammer. They agreed to pick up the original episodes that aired, but after a long battle with Warner Brothers., no new episodes were produced because Warner Brothers would not release the rights to do so. What we proved is that when you get together and focus on a goal, you can make it happen.

While searching for some information on Millennium, I came across the website for BacktoFrankBlack.com. I was blown away by the campaign, the organization and the amount of passion the people behind the site had as well as the fans who visit the site. Although the fire for Millennium had never gone out completely, this reignited the fire for the show and made me want to get back on the campaign trail for this show. Rarely do shows on television get a second chance, but I think that Millennium will get a second chance. Whether it be a tv movie or a straight to dvd release, the fans deserve some sort of closure with Frank Black. I know personally, I would like a couple more seasons of the show, but one can hope right? I am a fan of Millennium and will always be a fan of the show. I have turned several people onto the show as well. They all ask me the same thing, why was the show cancelled? I can give several reasons:

1) A horrible time slot. Friday is the kiss of death for tv shows. Ask the X-Files. It was almost cancelled when it was on Friday nights.

2) Low ratings. Although they were consistent and solid, they were still low for what FOX wanted.

3) The show didn't grab the all to important 18-49 demographic because the show was too dark.

I am sure there are others, but to me those are the main ones. Those added together meant Millennium was on borrowed time.

Here is what this boils down to. I want to thank the people at BacktoFrankBlack.com for igniting that fire in my again for the show Millennium. I want to thank all loyal fans who have stuck with the show throughout the years and have still continued to talk about and spread the word about Millennium. I want to thank the amazing actors, crew, writers and anyone who was involved with the making of the show Millennium. You have all done a masterful job. And finally, I want to thank Lance Henriksen, for creating one of the most amazing characters that has graced the television screen. You sir, are a true genius and I hope that we can again see you on the screen soon. Here's to you Frank Black.

Tha Darkside Vibe #54

2009-03-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Show Intro

Where has Tha Darkside been?

Obama is President!

A lady and her mcnuggets

Artist spotlight: Karina Igesias

Dramatel

Do women want true honesty?

Show outro

Cold Case - Fly Away

2008-12-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

Usually when I talk about a television show, it's about the show in general and an overall opinion of why I like the show and why you the reader should watch it. This time is going to be a bit different, I am going to talk about a particular episode of a television show.

First let me say that I am not going to give the episode away and will include a link to where you can go watch the episode. Obviously, the television show is Cold Case. An amazing show I just recently started to watch this season. So, in order to get caught up with the show from the beginning, I started watching the episodes from Season 1. Right now it's in it's sixth season, so some of the back stories I am not familiar with which is why I am going back to the beginning. Well today, I watched an amazing episode called Fly Away. The basic plot of the show is this:

The case of a young woman who was thrown from a second story window. Putting her in a coma and killing her daughter is reopened.

Let's just say that I am not a big emotional person when it comes to watching television, but this episode just tugged at my heart. The acting was amazing and the story just tore me up inside. I ask you to watch the episode and leave a comment. Let me know what you think and if you had the same reaction as I did.

Cold Case Season 1 (episode 8) Fly Away

Tha Darkside Vibe #53

2008-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

The Election of Barack Obama

Reverend Do No Good reacts

Ringo Starr - asshole

Reality check - The Pickup Artist

Artist spotlight - Nas

Favorite tv theme songs

TV show review - Brimstone

Yes we can...

2008-11-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was 10 years old sitting with my mom on a Saturday afternoon drinking lemonade and listening to Fleetwood Mac. My mother had adopted me and was already in her late 50's but decided to take a strange kid into her home to give him a better chance at life. While we were listening to the music, she turns down the volume and out of the blue asks me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought about it for a minute and said several things, an astronaut, a baseball player, a doctor and maybe even President of the United States. She looked at me with the comforting smile and told me I could be anything I wanted to be.

Years later I was home on leave from the Army and was sitting in the living room talking with my mom and we were watching a documentary on civil rights. We had never really talked about the civil rights movement at any length, but started up a conversation about it. What I learned from her that day is that she was involved with the movement and had actually marched on Washington when Martin Luther King gave his famous speech. There was no doubt that I had nothing but love and respect for her, but it grew even more once she told me what she and some friends had gone through during those years. I asked her did she still think a black person could become President...she hesitated for a minute and basically said although she hopes that it would happen, she doesn't see it happening in her lifetime or mine.

My mother passed away several years ago and I wish she was here today to see this historic event. Barack Obama is now President Elect of the United States. The first black person in history to have that distinction. This is truly an historic moment and I can't lie to you....as I type this blog, I have tears in my eyes. Not just tears of pride at this accomplishment, but tears that my mother, who fought through prejudice and was part of the civil rights movement, isn't here to see this with me. I know there are plenty of other people who have similar stories of family members, friends who they wish were here to see this moment.

Watching the coverage and seeing Representative John Lewis, Oprah Winfrey and Reverend Jesse Jackson crying while Obama was giving his speech, said everything to me. I am sure there was a sense of relief in the black community when it was official that Obama won the election, too many times things have been pulled out right from beneath us in the last minute, but not this time. This was our time and by our time, I mean American....everyone. Even though he is a black man, he ran this race strictly as a man, a Democrat and not on race.

I am sure there are McCain supporters and others who are disappointed that Obama won the election, but for just one moment, let that go and realize that you have just witnessed history. We need to come together as a country and let everyone know that we are a united nation and no one will hold us down....this campaign is a testament to that fact.

I think we all will look at ourselves and this country a little differently from now on. This whole situation makes me think of a line from a 2pac song called I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto:

"Although it seems Heaven sent, we ain't ready to have a black President"

Yes we can...

The Devil's Playground

2008-11-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Since Halloween has just passed, I thought I would take time out to write about a show that dealt with the Devil and paying for your sins. That show is Brimstone.

Every once and a while, a show comes along that resonates with a core group of people. In this crazy world of TV ratings, demographics and core viewing groups, some shows although excellent, fall through the cracks because they don't post the big ratings that the networks would like. Unfortunately for us, Brimstone was one of those shows.

The basic premise of Brimstone is this....Ezekiel Stone was a highly decorated New York police officer. His wife was raped and when the case went to trial, the rapist was let go due to a technicality. Several weeks later, Detective Stone tracked down his wife's rapist and killed him in cold blood. Months later while on a routine drug bust, Detective Stone was shot and killed in the line of duty. Since he killed someone in cold blood, he was sent to Hell. The show starred Peter Horton as Ezekiel Stone and the brilliant John Glover as the Devil.

Fast forward 15 years and we find out that 113 souls have escaped from Hell and have gone back to Earth. Since Stone was a cop, the Devil makes a deal with him. Send back all 113 souls to Hell and you will get a second chance at life on Earth. I thought this was an excellent concept. The show was created by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, who now have the show Eleventh Hour on CBS. Like I said before, great concept, but it doesn't mean the show will work with the general public. The show was to debut on a Tuesday night for FOX. Then president of the network had high hopes for the show and began promoting the show in the 9pm time slot. 2 weeks before the show was to air, he stepped down as President of FOX network to take another job and a replacement took over. This person did not like the dark nature of the show and wanted more programming that was upbeat and light, but decided to give the show a chance anyway. Brimstone was moved to the death time slot of 8pm on Friday nights, paired with another great show Millennium. Without any big promotion or support from FOX, the show aired it's first thirteen episodes with decent numbers. FOX had ordered 6 more scripts of the show, but during post production on episode 14, FOX cancelled Brimstone. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper!

The final episode of Brimstone entitled Mourning After, aired on February 12, 1999. There was no announcement publicly that the show was cancelled, it just stopped airing. After a couple of months, I decided to go on the internet and find any information that I could about the fate of the show. Nothing was on the FOX website, although the Brimstone link was still there. While digging for information, I came across a save Brimstone website. There I found out that the show had indeed been cancelled and that I was not the only fan of the show. After weeks of talking with other people on the site, we decided to start the usual steps to try and save the show. Start writing to FOX, Warner Bros and other stations to see if we could save Brimstone. After 4 months with little head way, we gathered money from people who could contribute and placed and ad in Variety magazine, yes, Variety! It garnered our little campaign some national attention...so much so that the head of the SciFi channel wrote to the head of our campaign to state that they were interested in Brimstone. Almost a year later, the SciFi channel picked up the rights to air the original 13 episodes, which was great. We were actually seeing results due to our hard work. We later found out that Warner Bros. would not give the SciFi channel the rights to produce new episodes. So after 6 months of showing the original episodes, Brimstone was taken of the schedule. The campaign was obviously disappointed that the show stopped airing on SciFi, but was happy that we were able to get the show back on the air. I was proud to be part of that campaign.

In February of 2009, will be the 10 year anniversary of Brimstone being cancelled. Over the years I have tried to find copies of the 13 episodes with varying success. Most of the complete sets I found were on VHS and not in great quality. Recently I came across a great site that actually put a DVD set together of the show and I got my copy a couple of days ago. It is by far the best fan made set of the show and the picture quality is a solid A. I watched the episodes from the beginning and it made me remember why I was so into this show. You may be thinking to yourselves, why is this guy so wrapped up in a TV show. Hasn't there been anything that you were passionate about? That you wanted to make sure that people knew about? Well, one of my passions is the show Brimstone. Excellent acting, writing and top notch storytelling that just pulls you into the world of Ezekiel Stone from moment one. It gave you a mixture of humor, drama and fantasy all rolled into one. It made you ask questions about faith, religion and what is truly good and evil. If you haven't seen the show, find it and watch it. If you have seen the show, watch it again.

Remember, nobody beats the Devil....or so I hear.

The fading Palin star...

2008-10-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

Unlike many people in the press, bloggers and other political entities, I do not think that Governor Sarah Palin is a stupid person. It would be foolish of anyone to think such a thing. You do not become Governor of a state by being a stupid person. Also, I do not care that she is a female running for the Vice Presidency. There will be no woman bashing in this blog. I could care less that a woman is running for Vice President, President, or any other political office. I just want someone who is informed and can make good decisions. Watch the following Sarah Palin clip and you tell me if she is an informed candidate:

I still to this day have no idea what her point was in that clip. This is the problem that Palin has, no clue as to what is going on. Could it be she was placed in the limelight not being ready to handle it? Could it be that McCain chose her just for political reasons? Or is it just that she doesn't know what is going on in the world. Here is Palin defending her foreign policy experience:

It is very simple people...we are living in serious times right now and need someone who can attack these issues with the calmness, knowledge and the respect of the American people. This again is not a blog to knock down Sarah Palin. She should be proud of her accomplishments as a woman and as a politician, but no more of the nice hometown stories. No more dodging questions when you don't truly have an answer. Let's be real for a minute, no politician knows everything, but I have never seen a candidate as unprepared as Palin.

Maybe the expectations are so low that no matter what happens, she will come out of the debate no different than she was when she went it. Joe Biden seems to have a problem. Not too look like he is attacking her, but at the same time point out her weaknesses and push the Obama policies. Can he walk this tightrope?

I just don't think she is ready to be one heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world.

What do you think?

Tha Darkside Vibe #52

2008-09-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Topics:

Show Intro

Tha Darkside asks God for help

The Presidential debate

Male enhancement with Extenze

Artist spotlight - Hots

You too can talk to Aliens

Outro

The Republican Disgrace...

2008-09-10T18:41:00.001-07:00

We all know that the world of politics is dog eat dog and isn't for the faint of heart. Constant character attacks, personal attacks, highs, lows and everything in between...but what the Republican party has done in the past 10 years is a downright disgrace.

This is not to say that the Democratic party is not without it's faults, but the way the Republican party has used personal and character attacks in recent campaigns can not go overlooked. Barack Obama was at a town hall a couple of days ago and while talking about John McCain and President Bush, he made the comment that you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. He was not referring to Governor Palin, but Bush and McCain. No more than an hour after he made this statement, McCain's camp fired back and wanted Obama to apologize for the so called sexist remark against Governor Palin. Almost as fast, they had an attack ad on the web called Lipstick.

It just cracks me up how they just splice a couple of clips together to make it seem one way when it actually isn't. This has Karl Rove written all over it. How can you support a party who looks to Karl Rove as an inspiration and leader. He should be in jail along with several other prominent Republicans, but guess who is helping them out, Bush.

I have to give it up to Barack Obama for trying to turn the other cheek when it comes to gutter politics. But he has to remember what those gutter politics did to John Kerry and his bid for President in 2004. Questioning his military service just to cast doubt. John McCain is a hypocrite, a true hypocrite. I seem to remember a certain politician saying the exact same thing:

See what I am talking about? The Republican party seems to have forgotten about Senator McCain saying the same thing about Hillary Clinton's health care policy. He wasn't called a sexist or asked to apologize. The reason is because it's NOT a sexist or derogatory statement against women.

This has been a theme throughout the primaries and now the Presidential campaign. Sexism and racism have reared their ugly heads and certain parties have chosen to play on these fears in order to gain support. Obama wants to keep racism and sexism out of this race, make it about the issues, but not the Republicans. You want to know why? When you don't have an answer for 8 years of this country losing all respect and the economy in the tank, you play on people's fears and try to divert their attention away from the real issues. The Republicans have even used these character and personal attacks against each other. Remember when McCain and Bush were going head to head for the Republican nomination years back and the Bush camp put out a story that McCain had fathered a black child? Are you serious? What the hell does that have to do with any of the important issues? Nothing. It's a diversion tactic. Get the news media and people around the water coolers talking about salacious gossip and not what is important.

John McCain likes to play a cool game. He says he is against negative campaigning and he seems genuine when he says it, yea right. Here is what McCain does. He will have his sheep float out an attack to the media and hours later, McCain will come back and say something like that has no place in politics... trying to make himself look like the good guy. Give me a break.

So, John McCain is the one who is going to defend women against sexism? Remember, this is the same person who made several disgusting jokes and cracks towards women.

Here is the bottom line people. I have no problem with anyone running for office. My thought is that McCain has chosen Governor Palin to try and sway some of the Hillary Clinton vote. We need to stop listening to the crap that Republican party is trying to hammer us with and pay attention to the issues. That is what the Republican party does not want. Ask yourself this question..

Which 8 years were better, the Clinton years or the Bush years? If you answer Bush, then you deserve 4 more years of what we have endured with George Bush. I feel sorry for you.

Tha Darkside Vibe #51

2008-08-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Show intro

The Chelsea Lately contest

My new 3G iPhone

News:
The Death of Bernie Mac
Aniston/Mayer break up
Mini Me sex tape

Booger lives again....sort of

Artist spotlight: Falling Wallendas

Movie review: Boxing Day

The Hills returns!

Outro

The Best of Tha Darkside Vibe Vol II

2008-07-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here it is folks! Episode #50! This episode is a best of that last 50 episodes of the show. From some of my favorite moments, to some of the moments you told me you really enjoyed. So sit back, download the show and enjoy some of my comic genius. Of course, comments are always welcome! So, click the link above and listen to a synopsis of some of my best work.

History has been made...

2008-06-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

This is an absolutely amazing thing. Senator Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. This is huge folks, huge! I never in my lifetime thought I would see a black person with a legitimate chance to win the White House. Take a minute, sit back and reflect on what this country has gone through when it comes to race. Slavery, lynchings, race riots of the 60's, the killing of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X and the KKK. We as a race have gone through many trials and tribulations but are here still standing tall. Barack is a shining moment for us and should be noted as a major story in the history of this country.

Not since JFK has a candidate fueled such excitement and enthusiasm when it comes to a political campaign. With both Hillary and Barack, more people have signed up and voted than any other time in history, truly amazing. Now, I am one of the Obama supporters that does not hate Hillary Clinton. You have to give her her due on what she has accomplished in this Democratic primary. One of the problems that I have with the Clintons is that they seem like sore losers, especially Bill. She did not even acknowledge his winning of the nomination tonight, which I think was in poor taste. But I will not let Hillary take our thunder away, not this historic night.

Now Obama faces off with Senator John McCain, a candidate who couldn't be futher from the ideals that Obama believes. I think the fall campaign hinges on 2 important topics, the economy and the Iraq war. McCain wants to continue the war in Iraq, Barack does not. I think this war was a mistake from the beginning and 4000 Americans have had to die during the war. The economy is in complete shambles due to Republican policies. We are in the midst of a recession and McCain does not have a solid idea on what to do to get our economy back on track.

I remember when I was a little boy and asked my mother would there ever be a black president? She basically me that in her lifetime and my lifetime. She would have a tremendous smile on her face now if she was still here.

I salute you Barack Obama for proving that anyone who works hard and believes in their dream, can accomplish anything. If Martin Luther King Jr could only see this now.

God Bless the United States!

Tha Darkside Vibe #49

2008-06-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Show Intro

Clinton/Obama discussion

News - Mariah Carey gets married..Nick Hogan in jail...We have a winner American Idol style

The Different Strokes curse continues

Artist spotlight - mayamusic

The Bill O'Reilly flipout

Keith Olbermann responds to O'Reilly

Show outro

Skeletor lives....Hi Ann Coulter

2008-05-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Politics is a very dirty game. In order for someone to run for any type of political office, you have to have a thick skin. Anyone who supports a candidate also has to have a thick skin. Over the course of a campaign, many negative things by many people will be said about your candidate. You can either fight back with your emotions and not respond rationally or you can take what is being said about you, gather the facts and respond in a cool and intelligent way. If you haven't guessed by now, I am a supporter of Barack Obama and before you even say it, no it's not just because he is black. Granted, I never thought I would see a black candidate in my lifetime to actually have a chance to win the White House, so this is historical. I also agree with many of his policies and ideas on how to change the stranglehold some politicians have on our political system. Not since John F. Kennedy has a candidate sparked so much interest in politics and galvanized so many people.

This has been a long primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, too long. Being the first black candidate with an actual chance for the White House, Obama has met with some reservations by many in the political arena and voters, which is understandable. We knew race would be an issue in this election, but I was hoping that analysts and voters would try to stick to the issues rather than tabloid garbage. His pastor Reverend Wright, not wearing a flag pin and other problems that have popped up during this campaign. In my opinion, he has handled them extremely well. It's kind of a no win situation for him, if he doesn't respond, he is the candidate that doesn't have any toughness, if he does stand up and fight, he's the angry black politician which is something he can't afford if he wants to attract the important blue collar vote.

So, how does Ann Coulter fit into all this you ask? Well, every night I watch MSNBC or CNN to hear all the so called political analysts views on the days events that pertain to the Democratic primary race. This particular night, I turned on a program hosted by Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter was the guest. For those of you that don't know her, she is a conservative political analyst and also a best selling author who has stirred up some controversy in the recent past, but we'll get to that. Now, I have no problem with these political "experts" opinions good or bad about Obama, as long as they stick with the issues and not tabloid garbage or hearsay. Ann was asked to give her opinion on Obama and his chances for the Presidency. She had stated weeks before if McCain won the Republican nomination, even though she is a Republican, she would vote for Clinton if she was the Democratic nominee. She has very different opinions than McCain and doesn't think he represents the "true" conservative. When asked what will you do if/when Obama gets the nomination, she says that I said I would vote for Clinton, not Obama. She then goes on to bash his campaign with rhetoric that had nothing to do with the issues and the part that bothered me most is that she kept calling him Barack Hussein Obama, emphasising his middle name. When she was asked basically not to do that and it wasn't fair, she said why not, that is his name. True, it is his name, but why use it to make it seem that he has some kind of connection to terrorists or Sadam. She knew exactly what she was doing and that really bothered me. In politics, perception is everything. Obama has had to deal with this off and on during the campaign, even as recently as a couple of days ago at a diner, he went up to shake a potential voters hand and the man would not shake it. Saying that he was a Muslim and his middle name was Hussein. I guess that guy must have been Joe Redneck. Tactics like this are trying to strike fear in the minds of people who really don't follow the news and truly follow what is going on in the race and I think it's disgraceful!

Why is Ann Coulter of all people asked to be an analyst on the campaign? She has had some really cruel things to say about people and here are just a few:

1) On Senator John Edwards when he ran with John Kerry for the White House..

"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I'm - so, kind of at an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards, so I think I'll just conclude here and take your questions"

2) Her comments on Muslims..

"Airports scrupulously apply the same laughably ineffective airport harassment to Suzy Chapstick as to Muslim hijackers. It is preposterous to assume every passenger is a potential crazed homicidal maniac. We know who the homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now.
We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war"

"Not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims -- at least all terrorists capable of assembling a murderous plot against America that leaves 7,000 people dead in under two hours"

3) Her comments about Jews on the show The Big Idea hosted by Donny Deutsch...

DEUTSCH: You said — your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.[152]COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.DEUTSCH: But that's what you said — don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic—COULTER: No!DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought. OK—COULTER: No, no, no, no, no. I don't want you being offended by this. This is what Christians consider themselves, because our testament is the continuation of your testament. You know that. So we think Jews go to heaven. I mean (Jerry) Falwell himself said that, but you have to follow laws. Ours is "Christ died for our sins." We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian(sic) is not offensive at all.

This is the kind of person you call on to give her opinion on what is happening with Obama and the Democratic primary? Are you serious? Again, if you have valid arguments against a candidate no matter who it is, more power to you, but to take it to gutter politics and to try and strike fear into people for no reason, that is just wrong.

I think Ann needs a sandwich and a hug.

Just my opinion.

The Spin

2008-05-06T21:36:00.001-07:00

So, it is now 12:37am and I have been watching MSNBC's coverage of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries. Heading into the primaries, Obama was to win a close one in North Carolina and Clinton would win big in Indiana. The big issue she was pushing was the gas tax relief which to me is really a smoke screen. Obama was clearly against the gas tax relief having himself voted for a similar plan in Illinois and seeing that it didn't work. Clinton thought she could definitely pick up the blue collar vote pushing the gas tax relief. Well, as of 12:37am, Obama has won North Carolina by 14 points and they are in a virtual tie in Indiana, a state Clinton was suppose to run away with. Right now, she leads him by less then 17,000 votes.

Now it is time for the spin. Obama is the first to make a speech and congratulates Clinton on winning Indiana while also debunking her idea of this primary being a game changer. He is now starting to focus on the task of taking on John McCain in the fall and it shows. Clinton comes on later and at first seems to say she will continue the fight all the way to the White House, but the second part of her speech seems to be a concession speech. Is she finally realizing that it is over? The Clinton camp obviously is trying to play down the lost in North Carolina and play up the possible win in Indiana by saying they were expected to lose North Carolina and basically a win is a win in Indiana. Every political analyst that I have listened to tonight says it is basically over...yet still her staff and supporters are trying to downplay the issue. Here is a clear indication that she is starting to realize she is done. She has cancelled all Wednesday morning television interviews and appearances which were scheduled based on her believing she was going to have a good night. Usually after a primary, the candidates send out emails asking for donations and to keep plugging away with the campaign. Her latest email to her supporters does not even mention the raising of money.

Mathematically, Clinton can not catch Obama in the popular vote nor the pledged delegates. But wait, what about Michigan and Florida Clinton wants to have counted? After tonight, even if they do count those 2 states, she will still be down by 100+ delegates and more than 200,000 popular votes...she is done. I know the Clintons want to save face and continue that legacy, but what is the point of staying in the race? Is it to continue to try and tear Obama down more? Even with all the Reverend Wright and Bittergate drama, Obama is still in the lead.

Her campaign is in debt. She's already loaned the campaign 5 million dollars and reports are she has loaned the campaign even more money. I think it is time for her to formulate an exit strategy that is graceful and helps her and the campaign save face. This has been one hell of a Democratic nomination race, nothing like I've seen in my lifetime and it has fascinated me. People ask me are you supporting Obama just because he is black? I will admit it is history that he is running and unless something horrific happens, he will be the Democratic nominee, but I do agree with many of his ideas, not all, but many. I think his idea of change is a breath of fresh air in the dirty world of politics. I think Clinton's undoing was her constant negative attacks against Obama and when she had the chance to put him away at his lowest point, she was unable to.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the campaign and who you are voting for.

Go Obama!

Tha Darkside Vibe #48

2008-04-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Show Intro

Tha Darkside turns 40!

News - Obama and Reverend Wright...Say goodbye to Oprah's dog...a pregnant man??

LOST - gain some Perspective

Pauly Shore plays the race card

Artist spotlight - Buckingham Nicks

When T-Pain meets Akon

A tribute to Martin Luther King

Tha Darkside Vibe #47

2008-03-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

Show Intro

Tha Darkside Rant #4

News - 2008 Oscar recap....Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.....Britney Spears is violated medically

Politicans and Sex

The real Governor Spitzer resignation speech

Artist spotlight - Lili Haydn

No school snow day

The Grinch is a teacher?

Outro/Shoutouts

Tha Darkside Vibe #46

2008-02-24T19:31:00.000-08:00

Show Intro

Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton - my thoughts

News - 2008 Grammy recap, the Queen of Soul is not having it, another school shooting

American Idol auditions #2

Artist spotlight - Presenting u.........Chante

Pilots take a quick nap

Fly Ghetto Air

Tribute to my friend Keith Johnson

To my friend...

2008-02-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

Reginald "Keith" Johnson

1959 - 2008

I am usually the kind of person that keeps personal things to myself and rarely shares them with anyone. But I feel compelled to say a little something about a close friend who unexpectedly passed away one week ago today. My friend Keith Johnson.

If any of you are familiar with the Washington DC area bar scene, then you will probably have crossed paths with Keith. He had been a staple as a bartender for a long time and had made friends with many people, including me. I met Keith in 1988 at a bar/club called Champions. Let's just say that he helped me out of a bad situation and didn't even know me. When I talked to him after the drama was over, he told me he had seen me around before and thought that he should help. That's the kind of man Keith was. You hear it all the time when someone passes, how they would give you the shirt off their back and would do anything for a friend. It's almost become cliche', but in Keith's case, it is 100 percent true. Over the years he and I became closer friends. I would ask his advice on things and he always gave me his honest answer, which I truly appreciated. I spoke with him 4 days before he had passed and we made plans to possibly hangout at a bar for a minute.

His funeral is tomorrow and his wake was today. I had planned on attending both, but I don't do well with death. I don't want to remember Keith last by being buried, I want to remember him as the guy who would always call me out when he would offer me a drink. Question my manhood, LOL! So many memories I have of hanging out with Keith and just having a great time.

If any of you have met Keith, please leave some memories you have of my friend. I know he is looking down on us.

I miss you man..

P.S. Alright man, I am gonna drink the damn shot! LOL!

The Hollywood Vice

2008-01-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008

What does it take for the entertainment industry to wake up and ask what the hell is going on with it's young members? Heath is just the latest in a string of deaths in young Hollywood. Entertainers who were given a gift from God only to let it go to waste. Some people will not agree with what I will say in this blog, but that is just fine. I am not here to trash Heath and others who have passed, only to ask when will this stop. What is going on in Hollywood to make these individuals feel so alone, so depressed that there only escape is death? It hasn't been confirmed by toxicology reports exactly how Heath died, but I am sure the prescription drugs that were found near his body will have a roll. Six different types of drugs folks, six! Shouldn't that raise a flag to someone in his camp?

In just the last month actors Heather Ledger and Brad Renfro have been found dead. This makes you think back to other young artists who died too early. River Phoenix, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, just to name a few. Apparently, the environment surrounding these people is toxic. Not knowing who you can truly trust. Realizing that most people you meet want something from you instead of genuinely wanting to get to know you. I know that some of you are thinking you aren't in that situation, so how do you know you wouldn't end up the same way. To be completely honest, I don't know, but I hope I would be smart enough to surround myself with a couple of people I know I can trust and who will keep me grounded. I have several friends who are either in the biz are on their way to being in the biz. I hear it all the time how Hollywood can chew you up and spit you out. For every Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and so on, there is a James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and a John Belushi. Someone who has the power and the fortitude needs to stand up and say enough is enough.

All I am trying to say is that these people were blessed, blessed with a gift and wasted it. Many of us "normal" people would have loved to be in the position that they were. Privileged, living the good life and able to affect so many people in so many different ways. Only to take this gift, abuse it and ultimately lose it. Some were suicides, some were "accidental" overdoses, whatever the cause of these deaths, I just can feel sorry for them. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see anyone die, but if you die at your own hand or doing something stupid or reckless, I have no sympathy for you. Some people won't like that statement, but that's why we have freedom of speech.

Tha Darkside Vibe episode #45

2008-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Show intro

Tiger Woods and the lynching comment

News - Britney Spears, Eddie Murphy and Terrell Owens

Tom Cruise preaches Scientology

Can someone please explain Kirk Franklin?

Artits spotlight - Rooney

American Idol recap

Shoutouts/Outro

Tha Darkside Vibe Episode #44

2008-01-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Show Intro

New Year Countdown

Is Dazed and Confused gay?

News

-Britney Spears meltdown

-Would you lie for Hanna Montana tickets?

- Former OC star gets busted

When trannys attack

Arist spotlight - ?

Thriller gets a makeover

Tv show review - Dexter

Show outro/shoutouts

The Ghetto Grinch

2007-12-23T18:07:00.001-08:00

So, I am walking around the Arlington, Virginia area today and noticed all of the Christmas decorations and lights. One of the first things that struck me was that I remember these lights and decorations being up at the end of October. What is up with that? See, I have a problem with Christmas and the holidays in general.

Does this make me a Grinch? Maybe, or am I just sick of the commercialization that the holidays have become. I remember when I was a young lad in Maryland, the holiday season was the best time of the year. Everyone was in a great mood, you had the family around to celebrate with and you received gifts. I fell for all the holiday madness hook, line and sinker when I was younger, but it all changed at the age of 8. My mother had suckered me into believing in Santa Claus, the North Pole and all the Christmas jazz. Hell, I loved watching those classic Christmas specials like Rudolph's Shiny New Year, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty the Snowman, just to name a few. We were always told to leave out milk and cookies for Santa and make sure that we went to bed early. All the good children would receive presents. So, I fell for it. That Christmas I woke up early because I had to use the bathroom. In order for me to get to the bathroom, I had to walk down a hallway. The bathroom was across from the living room. When I went towards the bathroom I looked into the living room and who do I see?? My older sisters and mom putting together toys and laying out the presents. They saw me and told me to go to bed. I said to my mother, "I thought Santa Claus put out the presents?" What was her answer? "Yes he does, but he jumped behind the tree." Well, I knew that was a crock but played along with it anyway. From that moment on, Christmas would never be the same again.

Flash forward to today and my attitude towards the holidays has only become worse. Most people don't even know what the true meaning of Christmas is. Luckily, my mother sat me down when I was younger to tell me that Christmas was more then getting presents. I find it hard for me to say Merry Xmas or Happy Holidays when I truly don't mean it. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate someone taking the time to say it to me or whatever, so I feel obligated to respond. Christmas is way too commercial. Most people are mainly concerned about getting stuff. I remember a friend of mine gave her boyfriend a really cool hand made gift. Something from the heart and very nice. He got her a very expensive necklace. He was absolutely pissed that he just got some homemade present. That's what gift giving has come to. Buy someone something expensive and receive something inexpensive in return and see how you react to it. The holiday spirit just seems fake to me. Could this just be me? Am I truly the Ghetto Grinch?

Santa, please help me!

Tha Darkside Vibe #43

2007-12-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Show intro

The greatest house party ever!

News:

Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant
Survivor runner up plays the sympathy card
Amy Winehouse suicide pact

Nelly and Allen Iverson on OJ Simpson

WWE 15 Year Anniversary

Artist spotlight : Dre Robinson

21 Things about Men and Women

Show Outro/Shoutouts

An open letter to Prince....

2007-11-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard the news, Prince is suing several websites citing copyright infringement. Before you read this open letter, check out the entire story by following this link:

Prince sues fan websites

Ok, now that you have read the entire story and know exactly what is going on...can you believe this? Let me first start by saying I am a huge Prince fan. Anyone who knows me knows this is a fact. I will talk until I am blue in the face about Prince. Let me run into someone who is just finding out about him or wants to know more about the man and his music, watch out. I am breaking out the cds, playing important tracks and taking the person through his amazing career. I wrote a blog not too long ago about the first time I heard his music, that was almost 27 years ago. That day truly changed my thoughts and views towards music. Yea, I listened to stuff here and there, but was never really into music until Prince. He can definitely be credited for my overwhelming love of music, not just his but all types of music. This is why I am so saddened by what is taking place.

There are obviously two sides to this story, Prince's side and the fans side. Now, I can completely understand him having a problem with sites that are illegally using his photos, videos and music for some sort of financial gain. Claiming to be "official" sites connected to Prince. That is completely wrong and the man has every right to sue those entities. But come on, the 3 main sites he is after are: Housequake.com, Prince.org and Princefams.org. I am a member of all 3 sites as well as the official Prince site 3121. com. The interesting thing is on each of those fan pages it clearly states that they have no official affiliation with Prince and any companies related to Prince. They clearly spell out in no uncertain terms that they will not tolerate any illegal posts, selling of or asking where to purchase any music, movies and anything related to Prince. These sites are maintained by these folks absolutely free, because they love and respect his music. No money is being made on these sites, none. These sites are for information purposes only. Even though I have a huge knowledge of Prince, I can't know everything. These sites have come in handy several times when I wanted to find out some information.

Prince, this is FREE PUBLICITY! WE ARE THE FANS WHO HAVE STUCK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK AND THIN! From the good times (Purple Rain, Dirty Mind, Sign o' the Times), to the not so good times (pretty much the entire 90's). From writing slave on your face, fighting your record label for ownership of your music. Your comeback at the Grammy awards with Beyonce to your amazing performance at halftime during the Superbowl. We have been there, every step of the way. I personally have been ridiculed and called a homosexual for being a fan of yours. Did I care? Not one bit, because the music is just that powerful. Your true fans are not here to take you down, but to enjoy the gift you have been given. Why would you want to hurt the people who have been there with you from day one? The only thing you are going to do is alienate this hardcore and loyal base of fans. Of course, the lawyers are going to try and spin this situation to make it look like it's not aimed at the fans, but it is..no matter how you try and paint it.

Instead of backing down, those 3 fan sites I mentioned earlier are getting together to fight back..I say FIGHT THE POWER! Sometimes you gotta spank big daddy to make him realize the mistakes they are making. You want to know the true definition of irony? Prince is the one of the main artists who pioneered the use of the internet to get his message and music out to the masses. Last year he won an award for "reshaping the relationship between fan and artist." Go figure. It just blows my mind how he can do this to his most loyal fans, truly blows my mind.

When I first started to write this open letter, I will admit it was filled with some curse words and a very bitter tone. I chose not to use that version, but tone it down and just say how I feel without being angry. All I can say to you Prince is, years of myself and others being loyal dedicated fans and this is how you repay us? If any of you are interested in finding out more about the movement called Prince Fans United, I urge you to go to their website and show your support.

Prince Fans United!

No matter what you do or how crazy you get Prince, your music will always be what keeps me as one of your fans. It's too bad you don't realize right now that this is hurting you more then helping you.

stay purple people...

Me, metrosexuality and Gay America

2007-08-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, I sit here people typing this blog as a man who is COMPLETELY comfortable with himself. Some people may not be comfortable with who they are and that is a shame. Maybe one day you will be, but until you do, don't put down anyone or anything else. Being gay in this country has never been more accepted than it is now, in my opinion. Some may say that being gay, especially among the younger generation, is the "in" thing right now. I hope that isn't the case and they are just claiming to be gay just because it's cool or they want to get back at society. That just defeats the whole purpose.

Now, I am a person who is open to anyone and anything. Well, let me try that again. I am open to anyone who is proud of whatever and whomever they are, gay, straight, bi..whatever. I have many straight friends, gay and bi friends and I treat none of them differently. I even go to gay male and lesbian bars on occasion to hang with my friends. Now, when some of my straight friends here this, the ones who have a problem with homosexuality, they are disgusted and can't believe that I go to those kind of places. Again, I don't get mad, it's their opinion, even though I don't agree with it, I respect it. Going to these clubs is a totally different scene, but my thinking is they are having a good time, who gives a fuck about their sexual orientation. I have been hit on many times in the gay bars that I've gone to and have politely stated that I was a straight man.

To my friends and others who have a problem with homosexuality, could it be you are hiding something really deep in your psyche? That you despise the very thing you are trying to repress? I am in no way a doctor or psychologist, but it seems that may be the case with some of these people. Is being gay something that develops over time or are you born gay? I have no freakin' clue and won't even attempt to tackle that question...no one truly knows. What I know is, do what makes you happy and forget about what other people think. Life is too short to be worried about them and their opinions. As long as you aren't hurting anyone emotionally or physically.

Which brings me to metrosexual. The definition of metrosexual is:

n. A man (esp. a heterosexual man) whose lifestyle, spending habits and concern for personal appearance are likened to those considered typical of a fashionable, urban, homosexual man.

Now, judging by the above definition, I am a metrosexual. Granted, my whole lifestyle nor my entire spending habits are controlled by it, but I am concerned alot with my appearance and how I come across to people when I am in public. Do I go all out with the manicures and facials and so forth, no, well at least not yet :), but you never know. I think I will consider myself a part-time metrosexual. I think a man should take pride in his appearance and not have people think just because he does, he's gay..that's stupid. So fellas, who's with me on this metrosexual thing? Anyone? Any of you brave enough to tell the world, I AM A METROSEXUAL!!

Buffy, the pop culture phenom!

2007-08-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

In March of 1997, up and coming network the WB took a chance on a series that the other 4 major networks had passed on. Little did they know that this show would go on to become a cultural phenomenon, that show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was originally a movie that starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. The film was panned by critics and had very little success. Several years later that movie was turned into a television series. Now, you are probably asking yourself why is he talking about some stupid TV show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'll tell you why, because it was one of the best shows that has been on television in the last 30 years. TV Guide rated it #41 on the list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of all time, not bad for a show that many people initially laughed at, including me. I actually was one of the few who sat through the horrible movie and thought for sure that the TV show was going to be horrific, but I decided to give it a shot. Man was I surprised. This show had it all, excellent writing from Josh Whedon and staff, great acting and chemistry between the cast, humor, emotion and at times the show poked fun at itself.

Why am I writing a blog about this show? Well, last week Best Buy put all 7 seasons of the show on sale for $15.99 a season, what a deal. I have seen all 7 seasons when they originally aired, but wanted to have the show on DVD. So, over the last couple of years, I have purchased a season here and a season there. Well, this was my chance to pick up a couple more seasons at a fantastic price. So, I picked up seasons 4 and 5 and went to the counter. When I placed them on the counter, the cashier looked at me and started to laugh. She asked me was I seriously buying them and I started to laugh myself. I told her I was not ashamed that I love the show and wanted to eventually have all 7 seasons. Now, when some of my friends find out I watch the show, they laugh to..initially. Once I get them to watch the show, they become hooked to! To date, I have converted over 20 people into Buffy fans. Do you want to be the next one I convert?? Don't be ashamed, it's just TV folks!! I say, grab the popcorn, a wooden stake, pull up a seat and enjoy one of the greatest shows ever created!

So, take a second, look at the show intro above and realize that you are going to enjoy this show! I do have one question though...why is it that every vampire on the shows knows kung fu??

B.L.B.

2007-08-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

So, I am talking with a good friend of mine Doug the other day about how my vacation plans were all screwed up and I had to postpone my vacation to California. So, as a pity present to myself, I told him I was going to buy a bluetooth headset for my RAZR phone. There was a bit of silence, then he hits me with, "Man, brothas love bluetooth!" I was like, what are you talking about?? I told him he was full of crap and we kind of jumped off the subject and finished the call. I went to the store to find one, but didn't like what they had. The next day I went to Best Buy after some research online and purchased the one you see to the left.

What I didn't realize is that entire day I started paying attention to who I noticed with bluetooth headsets. I kid you not, out of the 40 plus people I saw with bluetooth headsets, 33 of them were brothas! Wait, could Doug have something? Is it in our genes to have bluetooth headsets? Why did so many of us have them? Now granted, this was no official poll or scientific experiment, just me counting the people I saw and making a note of it. So, as I setup my headset and put it on, I started wondering why did I purchase the headset. I can tell you now one of the main reasons is that I am a gadget geek, like most are. Have some cool new toy to play with is very exciting. Do I really need the headset? Heck no, but I wanted it. Could it be it gives me some sort of status in the world of cellular phones and accessories? Maybe, but that's probably all in my head. I am thinking the reason I have it is because I just can. LOL! Does that make sense? Nope, but neither do many things in this world.

So, if you see my walking down the street talking to myself, don't fret or thing I am crazy. It's just me enjoying the wonderful gift that I purchased for myself and my ego, my lovely bluetooth headset!

A Dirty Mind

2007-07-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and listen to Prince's 26th studio album Planet Earth, it makes me realize why I have been a fan of his for almost 3 decades now. The man is just dripping with talent, sometimes too much to comprehend. Some people think he is no longer relevant in today's music industry of one hit wonders, boy bands and manufactured music, but I say that is total nonsense. He may not have the radio play and albums sales of the 80's, but no one can touch him as far as stage performance goes..no one.

This brings me to the topic of this blog, Dirty Mind. I was a mere lad when I came across this album at the local record store where I grew up. The album cover alone was bad enough to were my mother said I couldn't get it. But, I went ahead on my own and purchased it, but never told her that I did. Realize, this album came out in 1981 and was the very first cd in the music industry to receive a Parental Advisory sticker. I played it several times and although I did enjoy it, I didn't actually realize what I was listening to....a groundbreaking masterpiece.

Flash forward years later and several Prince albums later, I was home one night and decided to dust off the cd and play it again. It had been a while since I had listened to the entire cd. I was completely floored at what I heard coming from my speakers. How could this album be from 1980? It was truly groundbreaking, it had elements of funk, new wave, rock and pop. But how could an album that was only 8 tracks and 30 minutes long accomplish this? One word, Prince. Every instrument, every vocal and every lyric was Prince, unprecedented at the time. His touring band was made up of different races and women, another first for that time period. As I continued to listen to this album, I thought to myself, I can't be the only one realizing the greatness of this album. So, I searched the web and found many critics agreed with my opinion. Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 500 best albums of all time. Here is a review from AllMusic.com that pretty much sums up this album:

Neither For You nor Prince was adequate preparation for the full-blown masterpiece of Prince's third album, Dirty Mind. Recorded in his home studio, with Prince playing nearly every instrument, Dirty Mind is a stunning, audacious amalgam of funk, new wave, R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock. Where other pop musicians suggested sex in lewd double-entendres, Prince left nothing to hide — before its release, no other rock or funk record was ever quite as explicit as Dirty Mind, with its gleeful tales of oral sex, threesomes, and even incest. Certainly, it opened the doors for countless sexually explicit albums, but to reduce its impact to mere profanity is too reductive — the music of Dirty Mind is as shocking as its graphic language, bending styles and breaking rules with little regard for fixed genres. Basing the album on a harder, rock-oriented beat more than before, Prince tries everything — there's pure new wave pop ("When You Were Mine"), soulful crooning ("Gotta Broken Heart Again"), robotic funk ("Dirty Mind"), rock & roll ("Sister"), sultry funk ("Head," "Do It All Night"), and relentless dance jams ("Uptown," "Partyup"), all in the space of half an hour. It's a breathtaking, visionary album, and its fusion of synthesizers, rock rhythms, and funk set the style for much of the urban soul and funk of the early '80s.

That review right there sums it up. To give you even a better taste of this album, here is the video of the title cut:

So, if you are a Prince fan and don't own this album, shame on you! If you are not a Prince fan or want to get into Prince, this is the first album to pick up. This is the one that showed the world exactly what was about to hit it, the artist known as Prince.

Media whore??

2007-07-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

When I was a young man growing up, my mother always taught me to be proud of who I am and where I came from. I was also taught not only to embrace my culture and heritage, but to learn and embrace the cultures of others, making me a more diverse and affluent individual. One person my mother would always bring up as an excellent example of this kind of individual was Jesse Jackson. Now granted, she also was a great admirer of Martin Luther King, Jr and was actually at the march on Washington in 1963. As well all know, King was gunned down in his prime, before he could finish the work he was put on this earth to do. So, with King gone, she took a notice of Jesse Jackson and constantly told me what a great man he was and what great work lies ahead for him. This was an exciting time, to see someone like me on television, debating , representing himself as a proud black man. But, as I became older, I started to notice that it seemed to me that he began to change...yes, he was still one of our most valued leaders in taking up the black cause, but to me it seemed like it was more for him than us.

Jump forward to today and the reason I am writing this post. I happened to be on YouTube as always, looking for something and came across some Jackson press conferences and speeches. It seems that Jesse has become a media whore. What makes this so unsetteling to me is that he has become a media whore ONLY when it is something that is major and will get him some serious tv time. Let's look at a couple of recent examples:

1) The shock jock Don Imus had made a comment about a women's basketball team. Calling them "nappy headed hos" while on the air. Now, when I first heard this, yea it wasn't in good taste, but he is a shock jock, duh. Jesse took it upon himself to not only call for the firing of Don Imus, but began picketing outside the studio were he did his show and going on every televison and news program that would have him on. Did Imus deserved to be fired? Not my call, that was up to his bosses, but I think Jesse made the situation much bigger than it needed to be. There is a columnist for the Kansas City Star named Jason Whitlock, who also happens to be black and totally agrees with what I am saying here. He said it best by saying the Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are a couple of opportunists. Look at this clip:

2)The second situation that he put himself in was the Michael Richards issue. Mr. Richards used the "N" word while at a comedy club in Los Angeles. I am in agreement with everyone who says that the "N" word should not be used by anyone, not even black people. But yet, here comes Jesse with his super cape..jumping on the bandwagon, protesting Richards, the release of a Seinfeld season dvd set. Here is a clip of Richards on Jesse's radio show:

All I am saying is that if you are going to call yourself a leader and represent the common black man, white man, yellow man, make sure you are doing it for the RIGHT reasons and not for personal gain. What has his Rainbow Push Coalition actually done? What the hell does Jesse do for a living? Can anyone tell me???

Say what you mean...mean what you say!

2007-07-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Boy, I am on a roll this week. Got alot of stuff on my mind. Today's blog is going to center around political correctness. I can't stand it! This country has become too PC and it's really starting to drive me nuts. People are scared to say what is really on their minds in order not to offend someone. Fuck that noise! Say what you mean, mean what you say. You can't make everyone happy and if you are trying, you will fail. Case in point, I was at a club this past weekend with some friends and struck up a conversation with a very attractive looking female. She happened to have a friend with her that in my opinion, was not that attractive, but she was nice. So the attractive friend and I are talking and during our conversation I find out that she has a boyfriend, good for her. No harm, no foul on my end. She then proceeds to try to set me up with her friend and I kindly say that I am not interested. She asks me why with a how dare I not want to talk to her friend attitude, to which I reply, I don't think she's attractive. No sooner did I finish saying that, this girl starts getting all hissy with me and telling me I don't look that good, blah blah blah. First of all, I have never and will never go around thinking I am the best looking person out there, I am far from that..but I think I am decent enough to were I can make a statement like I did about her friend. So, she asks me why I just came out and said that...I told her, why lie? Why beat around the bush? Tell the truth, it will save you a bunch of drama in the long run.

So then she hit me with the, beauty is measured by the person inside not outside crap. What's that saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but ugly goes straight to the bone?? More PC bullshit.

That's my point, don't sugarcoat anything, but don't be overly mean either. People get offended if you call someone retarded, that's the word that I grew up on, it wasn't meant to be cruel, just a fact. Now they are mentally challenged. All I know is that the "mentally retarded" kids went to a different classroom and got out early, just in case. Don't call me black anymore, call me African-American. What the fuck does that mean? I am African, hm, the last time I checked my roots go no further than Maryland and don't give me that go to Africa and find your roots shit. I'll be damned if I am gonna fly on a plane for 14 hours or whatever just to find out that my great times 10 grandfather was a tribal leader, wow, that's nice but it isn't helping me here. If some of us black folk went to Africa, we'd be back on the plane in a minute. As soon as we found out they don't have any KFCs or kool-aid over there, we'd be homesick. Plus,that's a long flight you guys. Imagine the slaves on the boats coming to American. That boat ride was so long, I think there are still slaves on ships on there way to America right now!

People are too afraid of someone not liking them, wanting to appease everyone. Screw that, I live for just the opposite. I say what is on my mind, whether you like it or not. Whether you will be my friend or not, I dont' care. Can't call someone dumb, they are educationally challenged, no, you're dumb. Nope, he isn't a dirty person, he is just hygiene challenged. Whatever happened to people just being filthy or crazy or just plain stupid? Can we go back to the old days when I was growing up. Stop trying to kiss everyone's butt and take a stand.....

you may like yourself more when you do. :)

Pardon my rambling, it probably doesn't make any sense! LOL!

Can the Lord save you in a theatre?

2007-07-08T20:42:00.001-07:00

Apparently the Lord can and I wasn't aware of this. Let me start from the beginning. Saturday night I went out with my good friend Kevin to meet up with some friends at a club called UltraBar. One of the people in the group was Jen, who is becoming a good friend of mine. Well, we are all drinking having a good time and Jen is kind enough to tell us on several occasions that night that she went shooting earlier in the day. Very impressive and also a bit frightening..lol. Anyway, during our conversation I asked if she had seen the movie 1408 yet because I knew she wanted to see it as well as I did. So, we made arrangements to go see it the next day.

Jen sent me a text at 10am the next morning to meet up with her at the 4:05 showing of 1408 at Potomac Yards 16. Cool..everything is lovely. So, I get there and purchase the tickets. On a side note, is it me or has the price of movie tickets just become insane??

So, Jen shows up and immediately lets me know that it's freaking hot outside! LOL! Hell yea it was hot outside. We get into the theatre, find a seat and prepare to watch a movie we both had been looking forward to. The previews start which really didn't do anything for me. Some western with Russel Crowe, a very cool looking movie with Elisa Cuthbert and the new Lindsay Lohan movie. In the preview of that movie, she was dancing as a stripper, hmm..gonna have to pass on that one. So the movie begins and everything is lovely, starts out nice and then it happened. 30 minutes into the movie a, how can I put this, rather plump black couple sit right behind us. The man behind me, the woman behind Jen. The woman is carrying what looks like a white hefty garbage bag with a bunch of food in it. We were the lucky ones to hear the crinkling and cracking of such bag and the bags of food they were consuming. Both Jen and I were also lucky enough to be on the receiving end of many kicks to the back of our chairs because the couple could barely fit in to seats and aisle. Back to the flick, it is very entertaining and moving along at a nice pace, when the first gotcha moment happens, the black woman let's out a scream that I swear woke up 2pac and Biggie. Then she did something I'd had never heard before at a theatre, she asked for the Lord to help her. Oh Lord, Jesus! What the fuck??? Not only did this happen 3 more times, but their constant talking during the movie didn't help either. Each time there was a gotcha moment, she put the Lord on standby, what is up with that??

Anyway, if you want to see a well acted and suspenseful movie, go see 1408. John Cusack does an amazing job in the lead role. But, if you want to see the movie and not worry about a ear damaging Jabba the Hut scream, go to a white theatre, they are much more quiet! LOL!!

White Boy Can Dance!!

2007-07-04T20:17:00.001-07:00

There is an epidemic in this country. White kids listening to rap, watching rap videos and thinking they can dance and rap. Before you say it, no I am not a racist, I am a realist. Reality is telling me I need to stop these kids from making fools of themselves. Ladies, if this guy came up to you at a club, would you dance with him?? LOL!

Roid Rage?

2007-07-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Roid rage? Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware of the tragedy involving WWE wrestler Chris Benoit and his family. If you haven't heard, the short version of the story is that Chris Benoit was scheduled for several appearances over last weekend and contacted WWE officials to tell them basically he couldn't make the events because his wife and son were sick. He sent several very strange text messages to 2 WWE officials which led them to contact the autorities to go investigate what was happening at Chris Beniot's home. The text messages were strange to say the least. Here are the first 2 messages he sent:

* 3:53 AM - Chris Benoit’s cell phone: “My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayeteville Georgia. 30215″

* 3:53 AM - Chris Benoit’s cell phone: “The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open.”

Now if that isn't a hint and a half for your ass that something is definitely up, I don't know what is. When the people do finally arrive at the residence, they find Nancy Benoit tied at the hands and feet and a cord around her neck were she had been strangled. Beside her was a bible. Upstairs they find his 7 year old son Daniel dead with a bible beside him. He had been smothered with a pillow. Finally, they found Chris Benoit in his gym hanging. A murder/suicide. This sent shockwaves through the wrestling community. What would cause a man who was so well respected in his profession to just lose it and commit this horrible act? According to police, Mr. Benoit killed his wife sometime Friday night, then the next morning killed his son and finally commited suicide on Sunday.

Now granted, none of us were there when this all took place so no one REALLY knows what happened. But the first thing I started reading and hearing about was roid rage. So what exactly is roid rage? I kind of had an idea, but did some checking around and found this simple answer:

Roid rage, in many ways, I would characterize as a form of loss of impulse control. It provokes overreactions via a stimulus that normally doesn't produce such a severe reaction.
So say somebody says something to you that you don't like. You may put your fist through a wall. The impulse is there; it's overreaction. Forget the roid, for the moment. It's a rage ... and that rage is precipitated by the brain being exposed to anabolic steroids.

Now this is by no means the definitive definition of roid rage, but you get the point. An impulse, severe overreaction. So, here is my problem with the roid rage theory. If that was the case, wouldn't he have killed his entire family right then and there without any thought? I mean, this man tied up and strangled his wife, then laid a bible right next to her. Waited several hours later and then smothered his son. Then the following day decided to take his own life. Doesn't that seem to be a bit more on the pre-meditated side? Am I way off base with this one? There is going to be nothing but speculation as to what really happened..did steroids have anything to do with this horrible crime. Now, for anyone to deny that Chris used steroids is crazy. I have been a fan of wrestling for over 30 years and was quite aware of steroid use in the WWE. That is one reason the WWE calls itself "Sports Entertainment" instead of a regular sport. That way it is not governed under certain rules that regular sports have to follow. In recent years several wrestlers have died and others have tested positive for steroid use. The WWE has now created the Wellness Program which does not tolerate the use of steroids and will punish anyone in violation...yea right. As long as these guys are making money for the business, they will always have a way around the Wellness program.

Bottom line, make no mistake about it, this is a horrible tragedy, but I think it has to do with a man who was deeply disturbed emotionally and not in a fit of roid rage. What do you guys think?

In the end, the WWE will go on and continue to entertain the thousands of fans it does every night. Maybe this incident will make the WWE take a hard look at not only drugs their wrestlers are taking/using, but also the emotional well being of these individuals. Although they are placed on pedestals to many, they are still human.

NuBlack...the movement!

2007-06-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have had enough! The black community, yes I said black..I can't stand the label African American. What has come of our community, our pride and the things we hold dear to ourselves. All most of us seem to be now is curse words, broken homes, ignorance and lack of respect for each other.

I went to the movies last night to see Knocked Up. This is a rated R movie and contains nudity, graphic language and drug use. I will get to why I told you that later. We decide to go to the 6:40pm movie and made a decision to meet up at 6:30. Now, I was hoping we would go to a theatre somewhere in Northern Virginia such as Arlington, where I live. My friend asked if I wouldn't mind coming in to the city instead and see the movie. So with a little hesitation I agreed to meet here at Regal Cinemas at Gallery Place. Let me first say that any experience that I have had a an all "black" theatre has been horrible. If any of you have gone to an all black theatre, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Now, some people may say, how can you say this about your own race.....do you not want to be black? First let me say, I am completely proud of my race and who I am. What I am saying to you in this blog is there is a section of our community that needs to be put in check...today!

So, I am standing outside of the theatre waiting for my date to arrive and I start people watching..something I love to do. First thing I notice is that there are many young black kids running around all over the place, don't see any parents in the picture. As I watch these kids who are no older than 10, I am startled by a male with huge headphones on rapping extremely loud, so loud that I can't hear the person I am talking to on the phone. Now, I am all for someone expressing themselves through music since I am a huge fan of music, but when there are kids around and there are curse words in the lyrics, keep them to yourself. Next I notice 2 gay black men with a black woman who is talking on the phone. Apparently, one of the men took a chicken wing of hers and she went off. Again, there are kids everywhere. She starts screaming, "Fuck you nigger", "Give me back my mutha fuckin piece of chicken!" I can't take it anymore...just when I am about to lose it, a Lil Jon wanna be pulls up right in front of the theatre with music blasting loud, gets out the car and wait for it......leans on his car and basically poses for 20 minutes! Are you kidding me??

Finally, my date arrives and we go inside to the theatre. We were a bit late so we had to sit in the front of the theatre. First thing I notice in my row, 4 of those kids I mentioned earlier who were cursing up a storm sitting in my row, none of them older than 10. The mother, no were to be found. Even before the movie starts, the kids are kicking each others chairs, yelling, talking on their phones and cursing like sailors. The theatre goes dark and the previews start playing with the kids still making alot of noise. Again I remind you, this is an R rated movie, what are these kids doing in here. Cell phones going off, kids yelling. Finally the mother arrives and she is no better, her phone rings and she holds a 5 minute conversation with someone named Darnell on the phone. Apparently, Darnell owes this woman money and he better give it up soon or she is going to whip his mutha fuckin ass! Oh and don't let me forget the 157 times they all got up to move around making us get up everytime they did...grrrrrrrr!

Why do I tell you this story? First, never go to an all black theatre if you WANT to see the movie. Second, this behavior only strengthens my point that a new movement needs to start, NuBlack. NuBlack is for blacks of all ages to finally stand up and put an end to this kind of ridiculous and embarrassing behavior. Now, I am in no way saying I am perfect, but I was taught what is right and what is wrong. But what about the kids that don't have a father in the home?? Fuck that excuse, I grew up without a father and turned out just fine. Knowing that education is key, respect is key and you have to work hard for what you want. Kids today want to take the easy road to get what they want. They have no respect for their parents, authority or even themselves. I want black kids and adults who allow and take part in this behavior to wake the fuck up! You are going to get NOWHERE acting this way. That is were people of the NuBlack movement will come in.

If you see a young girl or boy doing or saying something they shouldn't talk to them, let them know that it isn't the right way to go about things. It is up to us to stress education and respect to these kids before they end up in prison or in the ground, because that is where they are headed!

Join me in the NuBlack movement!