Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Monday, March 2, 2009

Through no will of my own, I found myself watching Diary of a Mad Black Woman with some friends and associates. This was the first time, ever, I watched a Tyler Perry movie. I am not a cultural, film, or art snob. I hate any sense of exclusivity regarding culture, there's something for everyone - I believe. However, I do prefer, and enjoy foreign films compared to the putrid "entertainment" distributed by Hollywood: that rancid racist/sexist Industrial Media Complex.

In short, Diary is about a woman, Helen (Kimberly Elise), so devoted to her upper class lawyer husband, Charles (Steve Harris) through eighteen years of marriage, that when he abandons her for a light, nearly-white woman!, she apparently loses her sense of self. This situation makes her an angry black woman, and in case we didn't realize it she tells us!

However, Helen quickly finds a new love (insert eye roll here) named Orlando (Shemar Moore); a pretty light skinned iron welding, working-class brotha! He keeps dropping so much truth on her about herself! He's edjumucated with street knowledge. If only she could see how real Orlando is.

Unfortunately, Helen has to temporarily abandon this down-to-earth-working-class-keepin'-it-real-brotha when she is able to gain some measure of revenge on her wicked mean husband. The revenge scheme doesn't last longer than a hot minute, and Helen's able to find a new spirit of self through forgiveness. Or something like that.

Why, there's even a church scene near the end, where all will be well. Everyone gets to holler, I mean sing, about Jesus and will find redemption.

Apparently, Tyler Perry man is the only living and breathing black American to have his own movie studio. I thought Oprah has one too, but maybe I'm looking at the wrong definition of being able to produce entertainment for the small (TV), or big screen (movie distribution deals).

He has had incredible success with a character named Madea, which I suspect is something of an alter-ego for this man. Madea gets to be, along with Joe (played by Perry also), offensive, vulgar, obnoxious, pathological, morally and physically unattractive, which is the funny. The pistol packing, wild behavior, morals free, anti-social Madea, gets to do all and be all, and is so hilarious in doing so.

Being an older black woman supposedly makes Madea free to do as she pleases. Say what?

This character, the obnoxious black woman, started with Eddie Murphy. I know people want to point to Geraldine by Flip Wilson, but I can say that the character was fussy, classy, sexy, coy, attractive, and truly funny. Geraldine was about being desirable, and still doing what she liked without breaking a nail.

There's really no comparison to what was then, and what gets portrayed now.

I know people who love all the creative works by Tyler Perry; I can't find fault with them. It works for them. Not everyone is looking for highbrow, intelligent, serious or thought provoking film. I know I don't.

Yet, I draw the line at many of these tired, highly influential, and constantly negative portrayal of black women. It's a sore point for me: it robs me of my humanity. These images carry worldwide influence. Trust me, they do.

Until every other television program and movie shows black women as the attractive and desirable girl next door to rebut the uncouth, unsociable, harridan - I'm not contributing to these creator's bottom line.

Next time this film, or any other like it, comes up, I'll have other things to do.

Labels: angry black woman, black women, Hollywood, Kimberly Elise, Madea, media, Media Industrial Complex, Steve Harris, Tyler Perry

posted by GoldenAh
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For 2009 - If Only Hollywood Would Consider These Changes
Friday, January 2, 2009

1. Keep all scenes dry: no more rain, please. I would like to see a film, especially if it is romantic, without people standing around in the rain. I don't care why - they add nothing to a scene. All it shows is a lack of imagination.
   
   Often, I'll watch these programs thinking: they're going to catch a cold! And eww, smelly wet hair!
   


2. No more kissing: it is disgusting to hear people smooch and lip smack. Let the viewers use their imagination. I don't want to see the filthy germ exchange.
   
   I would ban kissing in films if I had the power.
   


3. The minority sidekick to the white woman: it needs to stop. It's so lame. We all don't have an inner Oprah to tap to offer words of wisdom. Enough with the "sassy" minority woman who's gonna to take on the world to make things easy and accommodating for the "clueless" white chick (or man).
   
   It happened with Kate Hudson in Raising Helen, I wanted to choke the director and scriptwriter(s).
   


4. Whatever happened to black or minority sitcoms? I grew up watching shows with a black cast on television with my family. Now, all that's really available are re-runs on some cable networks. I think Lincoln Heights is the exception, but I still find the violence on the program excessive and disturbing.
   
   I don't need to see these programs, Kyle XY is my favorite, but a little variety would be nice. Not everyone wants to watch a program about vapid, bleach blond twits from Beverly Hills.
   


5. Is there a blond (any white) woman quota in Hollywood? One day I may do an actual head count. Off the top of my head, I can't think of one program on television, or movie, that doesn't have a white woman in it. She's included whether her character is integral to the plot or not. It's weird, sometimes they are brought on just because .... Some do nothing to advance the story line.
   
   For example, Heroes can't let go of Ali Larter. Although, I do like her. There are many, many story lines with other characters that would have made the show coherent. So many have been left unresolved. But nooooooo, they keep her, regardless of whether it muddles the stupidity factor of the show by a factor of ten.
   


6. Must there be a gun in nearly every film or TV show? Yes, some of us Americans are gun-totting nuts, but a good story doesn't need one either. How about just implying that people have one, and not show it?
   
   Not everyone who watches media entertainment is a 14 year old teenager who requires violence to stay interested in a program.
   


7. Please scale back the CGI effects. I can tell when it's used, and it still doesn't look convincing or interesting. People can't outrun a flood, rushing or rising waters. People can't survive a twenty-story waterfall in a ship, a car, or alone.
   
   I won't even go into the impossible stunts that the human body cannot perform. You know, those scenes where people can survive a head-on car accident, without seat belts, at 30+ mph.
   


8. Please, please, please make the actors audible. I know you enjoy loud music, and make most films for an international audience. However, I'd still like to pretend that dialogue is important to a movie. It'd be fun to know what's going on.
   
   The incoherent mumbling and overly loud, overly dramatic music needs to stop.
   


9. Make it illegal for George Lucas to release another Star Wars film. It's for the good of us all. He's made enough money. Star Wars is deeply entrenched into our modern culture. He can be proud, and not frightened by any thought that it will be forgotten.
   
   George, you can go away now. Thanks.
   
   I would include Star Trek, but I'm biased, so I'm ready for more of that sameness.
   


10. Make accessible 24/7 every Hollywood film ever made.
    


11. Every film made over the last 30 years old should be in the public domain. Congress and the Supreme Court needs to stop with this extra 100 year extension of copyrights every time it expires.
    
    It's not right.
    

Labels: black women, Hollywood, internet, Kate Hudson, minorities, Star Trek, Star Wars, television

posted by GoldenAh
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Is Will Smith Depressed?
Saturday, December 20, 2008



I have not seen his latest, Seven Pounds, but the topic appears morbid and much too somber. The ads aren't upbeat. Will Smith looks miserable. Not a good sign.

I know he probably wants to stretch his acting skills, or talent. I notice actors who start with comedic and non-serious roles almost always want to take that next step, and get all artsy fartsy, boring us to death with how oh-so-serious and somber he can pretend to be. Jim Carrey anyone?

I get it. Not.

I enjoyed, tolerated, and suffered through Hancock (Sometimes I cannot stand Charlize Theron, I find her as puke-worthy nauseating as Nicole Kidman.) and I Am Legend. I thought the special effects were disappointing. Why not use real people to make it realistic? I wasn't the least bit scared by that film.

Without a doubt, The Pursuit of Happyness was an instant classic. Watching Will Smith show his inner hustle made it real. You sense that he enjoys being a workhorse. I also think that was the last time Will Smith had a real black woman, or half-African, co-starring with him.

I ain't mad at him though. I do note films he produces starring black men and women. I laugh at how people complain that he's not doing enough for black people. He does a lot. They're just not paying attention.

Am I complaining? Nope, not at all. I enjoyed seeing his performance in Six Degrees of Separation. I even time looped the scene where he's caught butt nekked in bed with a guy. I am always inspired by a naked Will Smith. He never fails to disappoint in that area.

I remember those early scenes in I, Robot (my favorite of all his films, since it was the robot I enjoyed so much) with Mr. Smith taking a shower. Made the whole film worthwhile. Yessiree.

I'm not gonna head shrink the guy, and I can't, but if this is his mid-life crisis, I would recommend some family friendly comedies. Hitch, overall is my second favorite of his films. It has no guns, relatively little violence, which are only of the comedic sort. I can't even recall any profanity.

I laughed long and hard when Will clocked Eva Mendes (I like her) into the water. He also took her to Ellis Island expecting her to be impressed. Turns out that butcher was a literal, not vocational, description of her ancestor. Hilarious.

I think those kind of films would help. And who doesn't like to laugh?

Labels: black men, black women, Jim Carrey, Will Smith

posted by GoldenAh
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The Media and Stereotypes of Black Women
Thursday, April 10, 2008

No Educational Material in Films

I watch television shows and movies solely for entertainment, not education or a sense of "Oh, so that's what they're like." I don't view films by Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Akira Kurosawa (this guy is awesome) to be educational. Interesting, yes, but nothing I'd use as historical fact.

Fanciful Suburban Drama-Comedies

I've enjoyed Parenthood, Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride 2 with Steve Martin. (Loved him in The Jerk.) Even if they are all thematically the same movie, I've never held the impression that any of them are real. (So, that's how all whites in all white suburbia live!)

One standout for me - the kitchen(s). Oh boy, talk about real estate porn! In these films, the homes are always chock full of awesome kitchen accessories. I couldn't stand my kitchen full of stuff, but I do admire these clutter nests.

What Seems True

What is true in these films is the affluent, take it all for granted, privileged nature of the characters. Those self-involved narcissists exist; I've encountered them. There's no hesitation that checks these characters. They are not inhibited by the reality that something evil and external is going to block their paths, dreams, or desires due to race and sex.

It is a great escape to watch movies and television dramas where whites in all white environment worry about mundane stuff.

Oh, if only life could be that uncomplicated for black women in America.

I liked Bringing Down the House, with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin. Queen Latifah was executive producer. I'm sure something in the script spoke to her. I winced throughout the film.

Yet what may be entertainment to me, is taken as gospel among some other groups.

Let me say this in plain English: I've met people who feel they can only relate to me based on media images of black women. I'd be really really rich if I received money for every time I heard, saw, or read what other groups in America, or the world for that matter, believed about black women. Most, if not all, of their ridiculous notions come from the Media: general entertainment (video games, books, etc), Hollywood and the advertising industry.

How it Relates to Me, A Black Woman

When I tell people I can't dance, they respond with shock. I elaborate: I can't remember dances like the Electric Slide or Bus Stop. Or any dance steps for that matter.

When I travel I get questions, which probe: What do I do for a living? We're all drug dealers and entertainers, don't cha know?

How can I afford to travel? I mugged an old white woman to get on this trip.

I've been complimented, with a note of surprise, as to how well I speak. I've even been told at different times that I "sound like a white girl."

People cross the street, clutch their purse (and babies too!), avoid my presence, and do all other wonderful sorts of things, because I am a black woman.

People who befriend me actually assume that at some point in time, I'll turn into a sassy, bossy and hotheaded sistah, and give someone a peace of my mind. Talk about a let down when I do not get mad or huffy.

What's worse are people who assume that I'm going to be their all-knowing wisdom dispensing black female wise-ass protector. Not gonna happen.

And my all time favorite: "I don't know any black women except for the [fill in the blank] show. I really liked that program." And what does that have to do with me?

Thanks For The Stereotypes!

Where else are these stupid impressions coming from, but the Media? (insert ominous music here)

Hey, I'd prefer it if the Media ignored my existence than continue to perpetrate false images masquerading as reality. Then, I can go back to watching my all white entertainment, and everyone else can too.

Labels: black women, Hollywood, media, Queen Latifah, stereotypes, Steve Martin

posted by GoldenAh
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Grey's Anatomy: When Victim Groups Collide
Sunday, June 10, 2007

I don't own a television.

I don't watch "Grey's Anatomy." I could if I wanted to, but I don't.

I've read a basic outline of the show's plot. It is a mixed-cast soap opera, based in a hospital, where a number of men (black and white) have the hots for a very plain looking, squinty eyed, boney brunette. I think a number of them are interns.

So this is "ER", with a different slant. You know, where everybody is f***ing each other like "Friends." Since I don't like shows like that, I figure I'm not missing much.

Alrighty then, onto the drama amongst the fighting cast members. Isaiah Washington (IW) said a naughty (okay derogatory) word about another cast member, T.R. Knight (TKK). Then, in a moment of sheer utter stupidity, at an awards show IW said he never called TKK that word.

Wow. Can you say clueless?

Well, to make matters worse, as if they weren't bad enough, one cast member in particular, Katherine Heigl (KH), decided she had it in for IW. Because according to her, TKK was her friend and needed her support. (Smart move girl: great way to put yourself in the middle of the drama.)

IW was sent to rehab, maybe he apologized for being dysfunctional and it seemed that he was coming back. His boss, a black woman named Shonda Rhimes (SR) who created this show along with a half dozen other people, claimed he was staying.

The identity of the show's creator had me asking myself: Did IW act up, because he thought SR would back him? Was the bully behavior of calling another man a nasty name something he thought defensible?

I don't know what IW was on, did he do a bizarre calculation where because your boss is a black female and the target of your slur is a gay man, you would win that struggle? Is that because if you see yourself atop the victim hierarchy others would fall into line?

I saw this in terms (among other things) as who gets to be the most vulnerable victim of all victims. Now, I know IW wasn't the injured party, but I think he saw himself as one. Hence, the strange denials along the way.

He should have known to keep his mouth shut when KH started in on his case. I wasn't surprised he was canned. I am sure at KH's inital insistance, everyone was like, "Who is this chick?"

However, based on the tally from her recent hit flick "Knocked Up" the powers-that-be-said, "He's gotta go!" Since she's now a bona fide star - with power - she got her wish.

So, let this be a lesson, don't call others bad names when you're working with them - always curse them off work site and privately. Otherwise, you will be fired and being part of a politically protected victim group doesn't ensure immunity.

Labels: black men, black women, gays, Grey's Anatomy, Knocked Up, television, victims

posted by GoldenAh
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