BLOGGAS AINT SH*T (blogga please!!)

John Carpenter scared me smart.....

2009-10-26T10:03:00.005-04:00

Halloween is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp weather, reminds of playing football, wearing hooded sweatshirts and best of all the Fall TV season has just started. Beyond that my birthday is on Oct 30Th. All Hallows eve. When your birthday falls on Halloween eve the holiday, scary movies and your birthday all get mashed together.Unlike having a birthday on say Christmas where you special day can be lost in the sauce having a birthday on Halloween simply enhances the experience. I have eatin many a home made (by mom) Birthday cake while sitting in a Spider man Halloween costume watching The Fog on TV. Which brings me to the subject of this post. The movie Halloween and it's director John Carpenter.

When I turned 12 NBC decided to air the first broadcast of Halloween on the 30Th. My mom, knowing my love for movies and TV had gotten me a subscription to TV guide so I was well aware that Halloween was coming on TV. The very same weekend it's sequel "Halloween 2" was premiering in theaters and my older brother, who was a Junior in high school at the time was going with friends to see it. I had no idea at the time how this weekend would impact my life, my love for movies and horror movies in particular.

That night myself, next door neighbor Steve Trame and my dad sat in our sun porch and watched Halloween. It scared the bejesus out of all three of us. Actually it did more than scare me, it ignited my 12 year old minds fascination with movies, how they are made and why they affect us like they do.

Halloween was not John Carpenters first movie, (that was Dark star) it was not even his first studio picture (that was Assault On Precinct 13) it was his first straight up horror movie and jump started the slasher craze. The story was so simple...little kid for no reason murders his sister on Halloween night. Years later he escapes from the loony bin and stalks 3 babysitters and their boyfriends killing them as the night goes on. The story was so simple and straightforward, which I feel is the lesson in John Carpenter movies: keep it simple. For a measly budget of Three Hundred Thousand dollars Halloween grossed Fifty Million, made Carpenter, Debra Hill and Jamie Lee Curtis stars and started the slasher era in films. It was not the first slasher (Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Black Christmas predate Halloween) but it was the most well made and well received slasher.

Halloween was the first movie that at age 12 made me want to know what a cinematographer does. It made me aware of framing a scene, what wide screen, POV shots and jump scares were and the importance of music to establishing mood is (the score to Halloween was not only one of the first songs I learned to play on the piano, it has become instantly recognized as the most influential piece of music in cinematic history, beyond the genre of horror even.) Even the way Carpenter shoots his characters is telling. Their is such a detachment, almost documentary way he presents his cast. It is impossible to tell how Carpenter wants us to feel as an audience, or he feels as a director about his charades by the way he shoots them. Very objective which enhances the horror: anything can (and will) happen to anyone at anytime. Having no money the picture is heavily influenced by German expressionist pictures of the 30's...long shaded shots with barely visible action in the distance, Carpenter makes full use of the screen, your eye is constantly scanning the background for danger, the lighting and cinematography of the Legendary Dean cundy is so effective you almost don't even realize what its doing to you. Of course having a vet like Donald Plesance and the like able new comer Jamie lee Curtis doesn't hurt but this was truly john Carpenters movie.

So I watched Halloween and my 12 year old mind was blown away. I then started to follow John Carpenter movies and it was really during his golden age. He followed Halloween with 3 more classics in short succession: The Fog, The Thing and Escape from New York. All of these movies once again featured Carpenters keep it simple filmaking, pov and long tracking shots as well as his signature score.Beyond that what caught my attention even as a kid was that unlike other horror movies of the time JC's movies featured intelligent and resourceful black characters. The hero from assault on Precinct 13 is a black man, a cop who not only survives the entire movie but is smart and brave. He is not the sidekick or the comic relief. Subsequent carpenter films (The Thing, They Live to name a few) also featured black characters who were not stereotypes and not killed off 5 mins into the pic as cannon fodder. I was aware of this on a conscious and subconscious level as a kid.

John Carpenter single handily, in my opinion took a sub genre of horror, the slasher pic and infused it with intelligence and style. All the slasher (well most) that followed simply copied his formula (group of kids get picked off one by one by crazy man) but copied none of his style. Friday The 13th and their breathen are Dead Teenager movies, not really horror movies and while I do enjoy them, its kinda like liking McDonald's fries as well as liking fillet minion. Both taste good but one is going to upset your stomach later on that night.

So thank you John Carpenter for not only making Halloween, The Fog and The Thing, 3 of my all time favorite movies but for infusing a genre known for exploitation with class, style and intelligence. You made me love the art of filmaking.

Haddix Road...a great place to be a kid

2009-10-21T15:52:00.002-04:00

Yeah I know i go on and on about going to High school in a cornfield and rednecks yelling nigger out of pick up trucks as I played with my Micronauts in the front yard, I got my angry black guy shtick down pat.....but in fairness and if I'm going to be honest with myself their was another side to growing up in the country.

As an adult, like most of you my relationship with my parents can drive me crazy. As a teenager, at times it sucked beyond the telling of it. I don't think I was alone or odd in those feelings, but personally speaking as a kid, a kid under 13? My street, my neighborhood, my parents? Not too many people had it better than I did.

My folks were old fashioned (still are). Dad worked full time, mom stayed home and raised the kids. My parents did not drink, smoke, abuse us or each other and they didn't run around with other people. Weirdo's right? My mom cooked us dinner every night, was class mother for all my various choir practices, plays and track meets. I thought my parents were the most old fashioned, boring, predictable people I knew. At the time I thought that was lame. In hindsight I realize how lucky I was. Because my parents were so busy being responsible parents, it left me time...to be a kid. I never wondered or worried if my dad was coming home drunk (he wasn't) I never wondered if my mom would ignore or abuse me (she wouldn't) I never pondered whether my folks would stay together. These were givens in my family. It gave me time to be a kid. It allowed me to play superheroes with Becky and Laura, wiffle ball with Steve and John Trame and learn to shoot 8mm movies with Jerry and Heidi. My parents "squareness" which I used to loath and lament included raising me in an enviorment where we could sleep outside in the front yard in sleeping bags, go fishing in the creek and sled riding over on Blake's Hill. In my neighborhood all the adults were parents to all the kids, if Mr Trame said no, it was no and because my neighbors shared my parents values we never had to worry about creepy parents or tainted Halloween candy. We just didn't.

When I got older I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet my biological family. Another mom, another dad and 9 new siblings. I would not trade knowing them for the world but along with all the love also came a lot of revelation. Most of my siblings who I was not raised with did not have it so easy. Some of them had to become parents to THEIR parents at age 12. Some had to deal with (still deal with) family situations that I can't even imagine dealing with. Because I never had to worry about food, or getting burned with ciggs or ignored my 8 year old mind was free to wander. I wrote, I played, I created, I developed a sense of humor, a creative mind and open soul that serves me every day of my adult life. And at times I think i don't appreciate why I have these things. Its because I was allowed to be a kid. Not a black kid, not a poor kid,just...a kid. Thank you Mom and Dad and Mr and Mrs Banks, Trames, Durst, Frylings, Buddelmeyers, Wunders, Leists and all the other adults who by simple virtue of keeping their lives in order, gave me and my siblings and my friends real, genuine childhoods. Of course when I turned 14 it all went to hell but those first few years were awesome. Suicide Lane, Marco Polo with Becky and Laura, Guns in The Woods, Karate Lessons from Jerry and jogging with Heidi. That might not mean anything to you, but it means the world to me.

2009-08-28T10:30:00.002-04:00

Ok that’s it I have fucking had it. If you’re the type of person that gets offended easily, if your sensitive to people talking about racial injustice or you want us to just “all get along” I suggest you stop reading now. I have had one too many discussions on this matter today, I have heard one too many ignorant statements on the matter of race so now I’m going to say everything I have always wanted to say but didn’t because I didn’t want to offend my white friends and my white side of the family. Hope I’m still in the will.

#1“Why are black people allowed to call each other nigger but when a white person does it he is escorted from the building by human resources?” I get asked this question by white friends and family a lot. My first thought is, boy I sure do have a lot of idiots in my life. Second response is this. If your so ignorant to American History, if your so ignorant to human nature that you really don’t “get” why its ok for me to say ‘what up my ni99a” to a black man but its not ok for a white person to call me a nigger than you frankly are too stupid to be my FB friend anyway and I suggest you rent Blue Collar comedy DVD’s, that seems more your speed. I understand why my female co-workers can talk to each other and say “Bitch you crazy as hell” but I would NEVER say “bitch you crazy as hell” to a female. Because I GET IT. Because I have common sense. Nigger is a word that has been used to divide and marginalize a group of people in this country by white folks for years. You can’t fucking say it to me. I can. Get over it. (by the way a lot of black folks don’t agree in using the N word, that’s a debate for us to have, you get no say so.)

#2 “Greg, your mom is white and your dad is black. You were adopted by white people and your skin is light. Why do you consider yourself black?” If I had a dime for every time I have been asked this by a white person. Answer is simple. When I was adopted not everyone on one side of my family was cool with the idea. In fact they decided that I would not be allowed into their home because of my skin color. I stood outside a few places with my Mother while my siblings and cousins exchanged gifts at Christmas time ect…because I was black. When I was in grade school some of my friends parents did not allow me into their homes, (this was the 80s; even) because “My mom doesn’t allow niggers in the house” and I quote. They didn’t say “we don’t allow mixed people in our home” they didn’t yell “Bi-racial” out the window. They called me a nigger. The reason why my high yellow white mother having ass considers myself a nigger, is because I was treated like one. No not everyone was mean and racist to me but it was a normal part of my life. Even after all these years there are still friends and family members who don’t deal with me, not because I’m crazy or crude, or have been to jail or gay….but because I’m black. I learned to own it if you haven’t noticed.

#3 Why can’t black folks get past racism and stop using it as an excuse to be lazy?’ It’s so funny when I hear white folks say that slavery was YEARS ago and that they personally didn’t own a slave. The simple facts are these. The normal way of doing business in the United States from its inception up until around 1969 was to be able to legally treat black people one step up from animals. If my black father lived where I live 40 years ago he would not be able to sit where I am sitting now because of the color of his skin. I’m not talking 1800’s I’m talking in my lifetime. So a country that for hundreds of years was ok with the idea of owning blacks, marginalizing blacks and abusing blacks all of the sudden in less than 30 years has changed the fabric of their souls? Really? Racist white policies were not challenged because white folks were all of the sudden “enlightened” we black folks and some good white folks had to FIGHT for to march for to die for the right to be treated as equals. We had to fight for it. What does that tell you about the United States values at the time?
So please sensitive white people, my brothers and sisters and friends and parents the next time you start to feel annoyed that you feel a black person is playing the race card, the next time you hear a black person say something that you know if you said it you would be attacked, the next time you feel slighted or resentful because something doesn’t seem racially fair please do me a favor..shut the fuck up and deal with your got damned guilt. It was your countries policies and prejudices and acceptance of racism that made people like me the way we are. If I play the race card its because you have been dealing ity to me from the bottom of the deck.

Just when I think i'm out...she pulls me back in

2009-08-04T11:34:00.005-04:00

Sooo...making fun of and criticizing Sarah Palin is getting passe...or so I thought. Now I don't mean to brag but the day after her speech at the Republican National Convention I blogged on this site right here that I did not like nor trust her. This was still during the week and a half love affair the media and America had with Sarah before she was forced to talk without a script and we saw what an idiot she really is...but I digress (burp) excuse me, but I digest. Anyhoo, this woman refuses to leave the spotlight, and now everyone has jumped on the bash Palin bandwagon. Not that I don't agree with a lot of it but it's getting boorish. Its like when an old white dude starts saying "for shizzle my nizzle" I know not to ever say shizzle again (that was dead 4 years ago by the way. If your not Snoop just don't)

Sooo...Palin has been in the spotlight of late usually talking about how she is trying to stay out of the spotlight, that she is not a quitter thus she must quit her job ect, so I thought I would in the interest of fairness attempt to find something about her I like and or admire (and no the fact that she can shoot a moose from a helicopter doesn't count. Let me see her take a moose down bare handed and we will talk.)

Sooo...I need some common ground with Ms Palin. I know it wont be sexuality, because I'm gay and she belongs to a church that attempts to pray gay out of people.I have seen the video! By the by when you attempt to pray gay out of people what you end up with is Clay Aiken. Gay as hell but annoyingly swears he is straight for the first 5 years of his career. Creepy. Anyhoo I knew Ms Palin and I were not going to bond on sexuality, or global warming or anything else that required intelligent thought. We are on two different levels, she is a accomplished politician and college grad who almost became co-leader of the free world. I have GED and a bus pass. The fact that I'm the pragmatic intellectual who understands science and she is the flighty Jesus freak that thinks a spirit from heaven will cure you of something that requires no cure other than a boyfriend is an irony that is lost on people.. anyway...I digress (burp) sorry I digest.

Sooo....I thought how about race? I'm black maybe just maybe I can find somethings to admire about SP concerning race. We can bond! So I started looking. The very first thing that popped up in my initial search was SP's Acceptance speech. Thinking I'm going to see something positive, a quote from Martin Luther King Jr maybe? An endorsement of Rosa parks but not, Ms Palin, that earthy folksy just like you and me soccor mom said this: "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity", she then cryptically attributed that statement to "a writer."

Of course the writer of that deceptively divisive comment was none other than Westbrook Pegler. If you don't know who that is, he was a Pulitzer winning journalist who gained even more infamy later in his career when he denounced the civil rights movement, embraced anti semitism and made the famous statement when referring to JFK "Some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies." His views became so extreme and racist that he was asked to leave The John birch Society as he became a sort of folk hero to racist and antisemitic everywhere.

Sooo....Ms Palin decided to quote this person, while accepting the nomination for VP at the Republican National convention. I already felt her "small towns are where the real Amerasians at" rhetoric was passive aggressive and divisive but to quote a super bigot like Peglen shows she is either really really racist or as stupid as I thought. Either way my final attempt to connect with this woman who just wont go away, even as she announces she is um..going away ended in revealing to me what my spirit already knew. I tried.

What the hell is a colored man doing at Harvard..

2009-07-21T16:16:00.002-04:00

..anyways?

This story I could relate to. Growing up in an all white town (hell all white family) I was told on more than one occasion to "get back to my side of town" even though I was 8 years old playing in my own front yard....sigh......Shout out to the brilliant and lovely Bobby Jones for writing the piece

http://sonofbaldwin.blogspot.com/2009/07/negros-rules-for-dealing-with-cops.html

Horrible Horrible people!! The lot of them

2009-07-14T09:32:00.009-04:00

I think its time that white folks, black folks, young, old, gay, straight, democrats and republicans, people with "innys" and people with "outys" belly buttons all came together to admit one universal truth: THAT BILL O'RIELLY AND SEAN HANNITY ARE SIMPLY HORRIBLE PEOPLE!!

I'm not talking about their insane politics, condescending demeanor or passive aggressive racist posturing. I'm talking about that intuition that you and all good people have, that feeling in the back of your head you get when you meet someone that tells you "this is a horrible person" That radar that warns you not to give a ride to the creepy guy or not to open your door to the strange salesman? That internal warning your soul gives your brain about the new co-worker who keeps coming over to your cubicle? When you hear either of these individuals speak at length you mean to tell me your "this is a horrible person" alarm doesn't go off? Even if you are a Conservative republican (and I know a shit load of good people who happen to be Conservative republicans, look at my friend list) just because you voted for the same person as Bill Orielly doesn't mean you don't sense what most other have known for years. That he is simply a horrible person.

Now before this turns racial and I get a shitload of comments from outraged white No Spin Zone fans let me give you this: We black folks also have a few celebs that I have no problem calling horrible people. No not OJ Simpson, that's too easy, he is like the black default horrible person. How about Joe Jackson, Sean P-Diddy Combs or Rev Jeremiah Wright? I have never met any of them yet my "This is a horrible person" alarm has been going off on each of them for years based on what I see, hear and read of them. And hey I vote the same way as Puffy does, love MJ and Obama!! Yet I still have the presence of mind and common sense to realize that although these black celebs are associated and in some cases are on the same side as issues as i am, they are still without a doubt horrible people...who happen to vote the same way as i do. Is this making sense? Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Can we just sign a bill into law that acknowledges that Sean Hannity and Bill O are simply horrible people?

I know this is tacky and offensive but I figure hey..

2009-06-30T23:30:00.004-04:00

... so are racism and Hedi and Spencer and we gotta deal with THAT shit everyday so here!!......(thank's Brooklyn for link. Love ya)

H2: Halloween 2 (2009) Trailer

2009-05-27T15:38:00.003-04:00

Ok I have some good and bad to say about this trailer. As most of you know I'm a HUGE Halloween fan. My birthday is on Oct 30th, I saw the first Halloween as a kid on tv and it had a huge impact on me. Halloween was the first movie that I remember thinking "what does a director do?" (i was like 11) John Carpenter not only became my favorite director but Halloween was the movie that got me interested in what a cinematographer did, how to effectively frame a scene, the importance of music to suspense ect. All that being said I am not a Halloween purist. I accepted and enjoyed Rob Zombies 2007 remake on its own terms unlike certain fan boys who can't go see a Star Trek movie that doesn't feature Willaim Shattner however this trailer does cause some alarm.

I'm glad this H2 is set in an abandoned hospital, on the same night as part 1. The 2009 Laurie Strode is hobbling around dark staircases with a broken ankle just like Jamie Lee Curtis did in 81. All that is good. I'm even happy to see Annie alive in well in Part 2 even though she didn't survive the 1978 Halloween. What is getting on my nerves about this trailer is the whole "mother wants me to kill for her" thing that seems to be forming. That sure looks like Michael Meyers Mamma from part 1 (played once again my Rob Zombies wife Sherry) telling Michael (perhaps in a dream) to kill for her? Isn't the whole I Kill because mommy tells me to a Norman Bates Psycho or Jason Voorhees Friday the 13th thing? Why rehash that tired plot here? So I give this trailer a c-......

You know what is a bigger sin than gay marriage?

2009-04-30T19:23:00.004-04:00

...The fact that Miss California and Bill O'rielly could legally get married and create offspring. I mean really people, is that not a bigger abomination than me wanting my partner of 6 years on my health insurance from work? I keep seeing Carrie Prejean all over the news talking about it being her personal choice to feel this way and freedom of speech and ya ya ya.

Now I'm not going to say she's too dumb to see the irony in the fact that she is arguing for her own personal freedom by attempting to suppress mine, but honestly when I see Fox News outraged over personal liberty and freedom of speech and I throw up a little in my mouth.

Miss California, Carrie, sweety, I don't think you should lose your crown or should have been judged harshly because you feel the way you feel about gay people getting married. I think you should lose your crown and were judged harshly because you were stupid enough to say it when you said it. I mean it shows you don't have common enough sense to lie to keep up the facade of being likable. No tact. Doesn't Miss USA travel to other countries? What if she's in Japan and says she just LOVES oriental people? We could have an international incident on our hands. I don't want to have to pay 50 bucks to rent Godzilla V.S. Mothera just because Ms Save My Soul doesn't have tact or common sense. I want a smarter Ms America damnit.

Oh and for the record Her argument that being against gay marriage is a personal choice and I'm allowed to have my opinion and you yours is flawed. Your opinion is that I am denied the same rights as everyone else. Your opinion is affecting other people in a big way. Now My opinion is allowing everyone to be treated equally Carrie your life isn't affected at all. Its not a simple difference of opinion. Your point of view lowers me in class, value and rights. Now I'm sure even someone dumb enough to offend a good part of the population during a likability contest can grasp that concept. You looked good in the evening wear though, I'll give you that girl...

At the end of the day....it is what it is...

2009-04-18T00:45:00.002-04:00

I am sick and tired of hearing people on TV, at work in my life say these played out useless phrases:

#1 "At the end of the day..." Now maybe this is just a black thing but saying "at the end of the day" has been played out for 3 years. If you turn on any MTV reality show listen to how many times someone says "at the end of the day" I hate it. Stop saying it.

#2 "It is what is is" This is another played out phrase. When you say 'well it is what it is" your not freaking saying anything! It is what it is? Much like "at the end of the day" this phrase does not advance the conversation or add anything new. It simply wastes oxygen. When I hear someone say "It is what it is" it simply tells me that that person has nothing of merit to say, but still wants to hear themselves talk so they say "It is what it is"

#3 "And whatnot" now saying and whatnot is just being intellectually lazy. It means nothing and everything at the same time and when someone says that to me in a conversation all it means is the persons point ended 2 sentences ago but they didn't want to stop talking so they say "and whatnot"

I love words, they are free, easy to say, easy to look up and can be fun!! When people talk to me and use cliched played out banality like the examples I listed above, I feel like I'm not worth the extra effort for them to access their vocabulary. Gets on my damn nerves as well....

Dirty Cops Go Down (sorta)

2009-02-25T15:17:00.003-05:00

I live about 15 Mins from where this took place. Big news. Justice is sorta served I guess.....

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/18784101/detail.html

If your not aware, some dirty Atl cops (who all happened to be white) forged a no knock warrant on this old ladies house (where no drugs were being dealt). After they busted in the door she shot one shot into the ceiling. They mowed her down in a hail of gunfire. They then planted drugs in her apt. Atl has the BEST police force I tell ya.....whats really sad is this woman was 92 years old. Managed to live through the South when they were lynching and killing folks and was still self sufficient at her advanced age only to be shot by dirty ATL cops. Not sure it was racially motivated but anytime 3 white cops shoot and kill an old black woman it sure in fuck FEELS racist to me.....The scary thing is if they would have done this to a young Hispanic or black male who was maybe 23 or 24 we (as a society) would have accepted the cover up. Scary shit

Etta James needs to sit down somewhere...

2009-02-08T19:41:00.002-05:00

I know I know she is a living legend, I'm supposed to have a deep rooted respect for her and talk in hushed tones when she is around but dammit....

I'm sure y'all heard about the comments she made about Beyonce and Obama last week. Beyonce was asked to sing at the inauguration and she sang the song At Last, a song she also sang in the movie Cadillac records which she starred. apparently Etta James was not amused. She made this statement:

"You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain't my president. He might be yours; he ain't my president. But I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song.... she's going to get her ass whipped. The great Beyoncé? Like I said, she ain't mine. ... I can't stand Beyoncé. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, gonna' be singing my song that I've been singing forever"

Ok, first off Etta.....YOU DIDN'T WRITE THE FREAKIN SONG!!!! "At Last" was a cover. It was written by Mark Gordon and Harry warren for a film (Orchestra wives) and was first performed and made popular by Glenn Miller (reached the top twenty, #14 I believe.) Etta, you covered a Glen Miller song the same way Beyonce did. Since you had no part it creating or writing the material I suggest you sit your old and bitter ass down. As far as your comments that Obama is not YOUR president, um...yeah he is, trust me. If I could have disowned George Bush I would have (in 1988 if ya know what I'm saying).....at any rate, after receiving negative press for her comments Ms Etta now says she was joking, it was all a joke. Uh huh. I know we are supposed to treat old folks with kid gloves, and not call them out when they misspeak. Well I never do that, I feel like, hey your like 70, you should know better...

Oprah should change the theme of her Magazine..

2009-01-08T23:52:00.001-05:00

.....to focus exclusively on Obama! She wouldn't even have to change the name of her Mag!

Sorry that's all I got. Happy New Year.

Bush says he is unprepared for war....

2008-12-04T20:07:00.000-05:00

So he decides to start one?

Where have all the female rappers gone?

2008-12-01T20:11:00.002-05:00

I feel like I wrote about this before, but it's my blog so fuck it.

I first became addicted to hip hop in the late 80's early 90's. What interested me so much about this genre of music was the fact that it was really many genres in one. You had so many different styles of hip hop and hip hop artist. Everything from East Coast b-boys like LL, Special Ed Rakim, West Coast Gangsters like NWA and King T, or Southern Booty shakers like Luke.

And these were just the men.

In the late 80's early 90's female MC's burst on the rap scene with all the skill variety and bravado of the guys. To look at the rap charts of the early 90's you could find female rappers representing everything from The B-girl story telling of MC Lyte, the Afrocentric pride of Queen Latifa and Monie Love not to mention The west Coast gangstress who was YO YO. If you turned on YO MTV Raps in 1991 you would find artist like Nikki D, MC trouble, Shante and Antionette, The cookie Crew, Silk times Leather, 357 and JJ Fad all had hit's side by side with the LL's, Snoops and Ice Cubes of the time.

Then there is Salt N Pepa.

Salt N Pepa not only kicked open the doors of this boys club to allow the girls to grab the mic, they surpassed most of the male MC's of that era in popularity, longetivity and record sales. Simply put one of the greatest rap groups of all time happens to be made up of females. Salt N Pepa.

Fast Forward to 2008. Hip Hop has become mainstream, rap sells Sprite and Sprint. Rappers are now producers, Moguls and Hollywood superstars.

Well The guys are anyway

As I write this blog I'm trying to think of the relevant female rappers of the 21'st century. Latifa is still around doing very well as an actress but hasn't released a hip hop record in years. The New School female MCs can be counted on one hand. Rah-Digga (inactive) Remmy Ma (incarcerated) and Foxy Brown (immature) even the female Mc's that are active are pretty much interchangeable. Take Jacki-o, Remy Ma and Shawwna and listen to a verse by each, could you tell the difference? Only Lil Kim is a true superstar and that's do more to the fact of her tabloid like life style and association with slain superstars than for a hot 16 bars she may (or may not have) written. Most of the females mc's of the 21st century look alike (sorta like empowered video ho's) sound alike and talk about the exact same subject matter.

More distressing still is whenever we are treated to a fresh new talented female rapper they either don't sell records (Lil mamma) or go stark raving Mad (Lauren Hill). It's like the industry is going ass backwards, but as usual the girls get it the worst.

As a former songwriter and producer I have always been more interested in the female mc than the male. Girls can work a song in more ways, they can be sexy, sassy, introspective and vulnerable in ways that the guys just cant without be labled corny or soft. With so many issues facing the black community in 2008, and with most of the male MC's not willing or able to reflect this reality through their art we could really use a new MC Lyte, Lauren Hill or Latifah about now. It's a shame that the promise once shown has yet to be realized.

New Friday The 13th trailer....

2008-11-29T17:34:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid we went and saw every new entry on opening night. The newest entry opens on Feb 13th. Here is the Trailer....enjoy!

Here is trailer #2

Yes We We Did Indeed.......

2008-11-07T13:30:00.005-05:00

I'm directing today's post to my anonymous fan.

I like debate, I love debate but it seems as though I picked up an unusual fan. He never posts his name and he never posts follow up comments when I call him out on mistakes in his comments. He tends to pop in, make some half ass racist or homophobic remark, usually directed at Obama then after I check him on his facts ect he disappears only to reappear later with more hate, fear and untruths......

..........Well to this person who is too scared to reveal themselves (your the only anonymous poster my blog has by the way) for all your fear mongering,race baiting and ignorance America still got it right. You represented to me, on this blog the ugly, fearful prejudiced homophobic aspect of America than is slowly dying out along with John McCain's political career. This country, the blacks, the whites the gay and the straight all made a choice that benefited the good of man kind, that befitted all people and to that, I am grateful.....to my anonymous fan, as usual you were wrong. The good guys won this time.

THE DEBATE

2008-10-03T14:04:00.002-04:00

So I sat down last night prepared to watch the debate and I picked up a pad and pencil and wrote down my thoughts as it progressed. Here they are verbatim from my Mead notebook

* Joe Biden knows his stuff. He seemed to emphatically and truthfully answer every question given him.

* Sarah Palin surprised me. Not because she did a good job (she did not) but because she didn't make any major flubs.

* This debate is a lot more intense and interesting than the Obama/McCain snooze fest from 2 weeks ago.

* Anyone with any intelligence can see that Palin is really just a pre-programed publicity stunt.

* Just because you talk like the characters in FARGO and have children does not mean you have any more of a connection with middle America than I (or Obama or Biden) does. It just means you sound annoying and can give birth.

* Biden was restrained! Lucky for democrats.

*Biden was restrained! Lucky for Palin.

* Why show up for a debate if your not going to answer direct questions? How do we know how you feel on 10 of the issues if all you do is return to the 2 things you do know about? I don't get it.

* All that down home "You betcha" nonsense makes me think Palin would be a wonderful head of the PTA. Vice President? Not so much.

* All the bru hah ha about the Moderator being pro-Obama was for not. She gave Palin a lot of leeway. A lot.

* Did they cancel that Caveman sitcom yet? (I saw a caveman in the Geico commercial was was curious.

2008-09-19T13:28:00.001-04:00

I want to say I'm sorry to all my republican friends and family who are not a bunch of dirty hypocrites, I know some democrats are as well....but if you watch Fox News, O'Reily, Hannity ect then I have no sympathy for you. Hypocrisy at its worst. Enjoy!

(this is the exact reason why I don't suffer judgemental fools)

THE RACE( to the Whitehouse)

2008-09-15T17:07:00.005-04:00

I would like to think that in 2008, in a world of Oprah, Tiger, Quincy and Condeleesa the fact that one of the presidential candidates is a man of color would not be a factor in his chances of getting elected president. I would LIKE to think that, unfortunately I'm pretty sure it is a factor. Here's why:

Two of the most important issues that the average American care about, according to most polls are the economy and the war. They both suck. The economy sucks, the war sucks. I feel comfortable in saying that this setiment crosses party lines. Most Democrats and republicans agree, the economy sucks, the war sucks.

We have been given 2 options as far as how we want to fix these problems. One is Barrack Obama. A person who happens to be extremely intelligent,accomplished, successful, hard working, a great communicator and who time and time again has shown that not only can he be an effective leader, he can be an inspiration. His policies are those that encourage peace, communication, acceptance, and an economic structure and philosophy that attempts to bridge the gap between the haves and haves not. He is also a person who happens to be black.

Option # 2 John McCain is an accomplished politician, a true war hero and a person who projects wisdom and integrity (for the most part). He also happens to be an old white guy. The problem is the average American thinks the economy sucks and the war sucks. John Mccain has stated publicly, recently that "he really does not know that much about economics" and thinks the economy is fine. I tell you this on the same day that Lehman Brothers filed for the biggest bankruptcy in history and Wall street has its worst day in 7 years. Yet McCain thinks the economy is fine, or that even if it wasn't he really wouldn't know anyway. Alrightythen.

The other big issue, the war. Where the black guy favors bringing troops home asap and communication with our enemies as opposed to aggression, McCain and Palin accept a 100 year war (and hey if Russia gives us any lip we will bomb them to) How is that the will of the people?

Are ya with me so far? War Sucks, Economy sucks everyone thinks so. White guy doesn't know about the economy or accept the reality of the economy. White guys priority is not to end the war, at least not for about 100 years. Black dude understands economics and wants to end the war.

Now call me crazy but given the FACTS the logical thing for the average person to do given our options would be to vote for the guy who cares about the economy and cares about ending a senseless war. That's the black guy by the way. And of course there is the rub.

There is a frighting number of white voters who still feel uncomfortable voting for the black guy. I know many people, friends and relatives, people who i know to be intelligent, compassionate responsible people who are not at all racist yet continue to attempt to rationalize voting for the guy who likes the war and hates economics? The old white guy who wants the opposite of what they say they want.Yet they consider voting for him. Its perplexing. Well unfortunately its not that perplexing. even in a world of Oprah and Tiger some white voters still can not bring themselves to elect a black man as president, much less a black man with the names Obama and Hussein in his name.

John McCain keeps saying he is going to reform Washington. To clean up economic waste. But John McCain has been part of that exact same Washington for 25 years. How does one reform ones self? from the inside? Especially when he admits he doesn't even understand the problem?

I'm not saying every democrat or independent who hesitates to vote for Obama is a racist or that it is even a factor in every case. I do believe that Obama's race is a factor to a lot of good people who actually agree with the black mans policy's. I would go so far to say that in most cases its a subconscious reaction to the reality that a black man named Hussein could possibly lead this country. Some white voters are not even aware that this is a reason for them being wary of the smart intelligent peace dude (who happens to be black)

So yeah race matters in this race (damnit) what really scares me is this. If I were the same person I am with the same values,same experiences only white, would I have that same visceral subconscious aversion to electing the black guy? Maybe, but then again if I was a white guy I wouldn't be the same person I am today with the same values and the same experiences now would I?

Lets Bomb Russia!!

2008-09-12T07:47:00.003-04:00

Ok worst case scenario. John McCain becomes president and while walking past the White House Kitchen some clueless staff member turns on the microwave and fries his pacemaker. Now McCain is dead and this person below is the leader of the free world!:

Basically we are just one ham and cheese hot pocket away from Armageddon! Hey I'm all for multi-tasking and I'm a fan of the do-it-all mom but honestly between hunting,governing Alaska, raising 5 kids, running for vice president and starting nuclear war with Russia when in the world will she find the time to condemn gay folks to hell? There are only so many hours in a day.....Well thank God she brings her 3 years of public service to the table or I might think maybe this broad is not ready to play with the big boys....

Sarah P and Barbera B.......they affect me the same

2008-09-08T12:09:00.004-04:00

Ok so now that I have my brand new fabulous laptop I decided to go to the library and actually check out books (as opposed to just going in there and using their computers) to learn about folks I really like or really...don't. So I decided to start with Barbara Bush sr. I checked out 3 bios on her, one a positive look, one a (supposedly) objective look at her life and the third...well the third was written by Kitty Kelly. Anyhoo...I was all set to blog about why Barbara Bush is evil incarnate when Sarah Palin emerged and stole the media spotlight. So I decided to do some research on Ms Palin and I found that her, and Barbara Bush affect me in the exact same way. So I decided to combine the two topics and have at it! Get it? Got it? Good! My bitching starts NOW:

When Barbara Bush became 2nd lady of the United States in 1980 she was presented to the American people as "Earth Mother" and "Americas Grandmother" because, frankly she was portly, looked like she may be her husbands mother as opposed to wife and had that silver hair. Because we as Americans are shallow and only pay attention to surface details, we accepted her at face value and thus never put Mrs Bush under the scrutiny we did Nancy Reagen, Hilary Clinton or pretty much any first lady in the last 50 years. I mean she looks like our grandma damnit, how bad can she be? What I found is Mrs Bush seems to be an elitist, wealthy her entire life who seemed to look down on women in her husbands employ who didn't want to stay home and have kids. She brags about being a kept woman her entire life and doesn't seem to have any compassion or understanding for those less fortunate than her. Finding evidence to back up these claims was really easy. Two of her most famous public blunders were these: In 2003 Good Morning America interviewed the Bush's about their TV viewing habits Mrs Bush said this (on live TV)-

:I watch none. He [former President Bush] sits and listens and I read books, because I know perfectly well that, don't take offense, that 90 percent of what I hear on television is supposition, when we're talking about the news. And he's not, not as understanding of my pettiness about that. But why should we hear about body bags and deaths, and how many, what day it's gonna happen, and how many this or that or what do you suppose? Or, I mean, it's not relevant. So, why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that, and watch him suffer?

I guess what she is saying is just because the child she birthed sent a bunch of American men to die in a war under false pretense, doesn't mean she is going to be bothered with disturbing details such as a body count. Earth mother? Earth mother smearth mother.

More famously she said while visiting people displaced by hurricane Katrina in 2005:

"Almost everyone I've talked to says, 'We're gonna move to Houston.' What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas... Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality, and so many of the people in the arenas here, you know, were underprivileged anyway. This is working very well for them".

I find it amusing that she thinks its "scary" that all these black folks want to stay in Texas because the "hospitality is overwhelming" yeah historically Texas has been a real black friendly state. To welcome us they tie us to the back of pick up trucks and drag us behind until our heads fall off!
There are so many more examples of this kind of "I'm rich and powerful and your not so screw you" mentality that this women has been spouting for over 30 years but for some reason she still has this reputation as being "Americas Grandma" and "earth mother". Well its not for some reason, its because she looks benevolent and we as Americans are just that shallow to go by appearances and to lazy to research and find out what people in power are really about.

Which brings me to Sarah Palin. She is pretty much (so far) getting the same treatment Barbara Bush received. True she is well spoken, cute, funny with great comedic timing and smart. She looks like a soccer mom and she has a sick baby so how can she be a bad person? Well I don't know if she is bad or not but I sure know what she stands for. She doesn't believe global warming is man made. Sigh. She wants creationism taught in public schools (hey people, if you want teachers teaching your kids about God put your money where your mouth is and send them to a private Christian school!) and she doesn't believe sex ed should be taught in school? Really? You want creationism (a religious belief) taught as a science in school but not the facts of sex ed? So I'm assuming her pregnant 17 year old daughter became pregnant through emaculate conception? Amazing! So a vice president nominee who doesn't want to clean up the enviorment because it interferes with her business interest, wants to force her conservative christian values on the masses, yet keep scientific factual info from our children and is anti-choice. Wow those are the exact same values that Bush, Cheney and McCain have!!

Are ya picking up what I'm putting down? Barbra Bush has gotten away with pretty much being a racist, elitist snob for 30 years because she looks like our grandmas. Sarah Palin is attempting the same trick because she looks like your sweet soccer mom neighbor. The values they promote are the same divisive, ignorant and judgemental values that have plagued our country for the last 8 years. I refuse to be an idiot and fall for the surface details. I hope folks use their brains and common sense this time because although the faces are disarming, the song remains the same.

My truth...............(yes we can)

2008-08-28T22:15:00.003-04:00

"If you tell the truth you don't have to worry about remembering anything"

(paraphrasing Cousin Jen 2006)

"It is what it is"

(Greg Blackshear, 2008)

As I type this Obama is accepting the democratic nomination for President of the United States. I will always remember this moment because my memory is hella good. I remember.

I remember standing outside my great aunts house in Pittsburgh Pa in the snow. I was not allowed in her house at that point because I was black. I remember my adopted mother standing out in the snow with me while my white brother and sister and my white father got to meet my new baby cousin, but not me. I was adopted, and i was black. I was four.

I remember my grandparents on my adopted fathers side of the family not talking to me for years. They were never mean or outright hostile, they just sort of ignored me. If they gave my siblings 50 dollars at Christmas they gave me 10. They told my parents that if they adopted me they would not be welcome in their home any longer. Not because I was a bad kid.Because I was black.

I remember my friends in High school. They were all white. Out of about 1,000 students there were maybe 4 black kids. Some of my friends would slip up and say nigger in front of me. When they realized their mistake they would say things like "Oh Greg we don't think of you as black" I was a pretty popular kid in school. I was smart and funny and creative and talented, sensitive and (I have been told) sweet. I'm not saying that those qualities didn't mean anything to some of my relatives and friends and neighbors, I'm just saying that the most important aspect of my being to them, was that I was black. I'm not saying I lived in the most racist situation ever, or that I was taunted daily. What I'm saying is it was, for as long as I can remember, very very important for these people to let me know that I was different, not quite a part of things, not accepted completely. They needed to let me know I was different, that I was black.

I remember everything. thank God I remember the good things.

I remember my adopted parents never treating me any differently than my siblings. I remember them telling me the color of my skin didn't matter, that i could become whatever I desired. I remember my moms sister and my Grandma french and my cousin Jen making me feel loved and welcome and secure when I visited them. We always visited that side of the family first at Christmas. The first part was always my favorite part of the holiday. I remember that love. It made me realize that not all white people are racist or even ignorant of my situation. It kept me from becoming bitter, it showed me that ....yes we can. Yes I am just as important, and intelligent, and worthy of love as my white siblings. It gave me hope and pride in my life at a time when so many others were telling me that I was defined by the color of my skin. That to them the most important quality I possessed was pigmentation.

So here it is 2008 and I'm watching this black man speak.I never really thought a black man would be this close to the white house in my lifetime. My life had taught me that the color of his skin DID matter, it mattered more than anything else. That was my truth.

I'm inspired. I had no outline for a blog tonight or real plan of writing one, i just sat down and started typing from the heart.

Crazy huh? Writing things like this, talking about stuff like this can be uncomfortable. There are wonderful white folks in my life that I truly care about who don't have a racist bone in their body. At the same time there are important white people in my life, who i truly care about, who happen to be a bit racist. That's a tricky thing to deal with so I decided to simply...Tell My truth. because if you tell the truth you don't have to worry about remembering anything.It is what it is.

Wonder Woman Animated Movie Trailer............

2008-07-29T20:07:00.000-04:00

Find more videos like this on ENewsi.com

Faux News...er Fox News 2: (electic boogaloo)

2008-07-26T14:08:00.004-04:00

Watch and be amazed. No words really. Thanks Cousin Jen for the link: