Don't Sleep

Not too long ago I wrote a post about the ‘wannabe legend’ that is Beyonce. My irk with her was that she was never out of my face. Some people said “don’t look then” while others agreed that she should let the acting go, take a seat and have some babies - just for a little bit then hopefully she would come back with some great material to knock my socks off. However, the recent and now boring ‘Chrianna’ events have made me realise how fleeting a career in entertainment can be. Yes I know, kind of obvious, but now I realise why B is constantly on it.

How easy is it going to be for Rihanna to get back to her position? Yes, I hear she's partying and back on her grind but considering reuniting with CB back has led to some people no longer seeing her as Queen of the fierce, independent, strong female. Can she regain that postion and overcome all the drama? No point in mentioning CB's career, I think they scattered its ashes last week Friday. (Personally...I don't think it's over - he just needs to rethink his direction).

More interestingly, Shauntelle, pop/RnB singer of the hit 'T-Shirt', also originating from Barbados is slyly using this as an opportunity to get her foot in the door. Keri Hilson is getting a bit more air time with her solo stuff as well as publicity rewarding collabos with Kanye and Lil' Wayne. Even Ciara has finally got a release date for her new album. Whether the sudden push is a coincidence or a well devised plan by music execs, it is definitely perfect timing. So wake up, don’t sleep Rihanna, because I think someone is trying to steal your spot.

This common symptom is not limited to music artists- film stars and much loved TV programmes can get drowsy too. Eastenders took some "Good Nytol" in 2007 when it lost out to Coronation Street for best soap at the Royal Television Society Awards - they haven't let that happen again. Pro Plus is your friend Eastenders!!! (Just hurry up Danielle, tell Ronnie already - gosh!). I think Neighbours is officially in a coma and rapper Nelly has taken a vacay and let FloRida jack his swagga - that vacation may become permanent homie, wake up!

Can you think of any other music artists, television shows, actors who fell asleep on the job and lost it?

Don't Sleep

Did Eastenders Punk Out?

Hey

For those who caught this week's "all black" episode of Eastenders, what did you think? The Sun argued that the producer's lack of promotion of this historic event somehow watered down the sincerity of the gesture to highlight race relations in the UK. My view is that by making a big song and dance about it, they might have turned this great moment into a gimmick, a novelty. Yes, it will go into the archives as a piece of television history and with the anniversary of the Macpherson Report, it was a great way to reinforce that the soap was in touch with the feelings of black people in the UK. Nevertheless, by treating this episode like any other Eastenders episode it guaranteed an audience that could do with hearing about black experiences in the UK. Some might say that it was a lesson in 'our history for our people', but it is important to highlight the programme's diverse audiences who may have actually switched off it if was proclaimed to be an "all black" episode, for fear of being lectured about something that they didn't really care or were concerned about. While Eastenders and television in general can serve well as a vehicle for educating people about social issues, it's primary objective is to entertain (despite Chelsea's painful acting) and provide some light relief at the end of a stressful day. I think the producer's remembered this in their aim not alienate its other audiences and at the same time ensured that we all learnt something together. My opinion, what's yours?

Did Eastenders Punk Out?

Back to Black...*(and White TV)*

Hey,
Here's an issue which slightly bothers me...the lack of ethnic representation on TV. And by this, I mean characters that my friends, my family and myself can identify with. Ok, we see black people in Eastenders: Gus - the dustbin man, Paul Trueman - the gangster, Denise Fox - the single parent, Chelsea - the crackhead...a pattern forming anyone?? However, I do give credit where it is due, I have taken to the Masood family and feel that the inclusion of cultural themes such as Ramadan is a great move by Eastenders. But for the rest of television, (not everything, because there are some real gems out there) stereotypes seem to play a major role when it comes to casting, scripts, and story lines.

When Gus left Eastenders, I heard the actor Muhammed George discussing his departure during an interview on Choice FM. I recall him saying that Eastenders' bosses had apologised, saying that they didn't know how to write for him, that they were unsure of how to write for an ethnic character. Did I miss something? Am I an alien from another planet? Let's think of some of the best soap storylines that have gone by...Ok, let's settle for good because its been hard times in soap land lately. Coronation Street - Carla-Liam-Maria love triangle. Eastenders - Max-Bradley-Stacey. Hollyoaks -Niall vs McQueens. Emmerdale......anyone watch Emmerdale?? Ok moving on. My point is, couldn't those story lines be acted out by black, Chinese and/or South Asian characters? I think that some productions focus too much on the differences between races and cultures and due to lack of knowledge about certain communities revert to unfair stereotypes when really they should acknowledge that as PEOPLE, we all encounter the same situations from time to time.

At the moment, there is nothing out there which reflects my struggles, no young black female that I can relate to. While I agree that programmes like The Bill do reflect the situations which SOME are going through, I cannot see 'myself' looking back at me from the screen. Maybe it's me, maybe I lead a sheltered life, maybe they are reflecting a majority experience that I am naive to. All I know is that I live in South East London, in a large black community, I have never smoked weed or taken crack, I have never had a gun or knife pulled on me (thank God) I do not have a baby, I do not have a drug dealer boyfriend, I have not dropped out of school and have not been forced into an arranged marriage with Uncle Kojo from Agogo village....yet.

However, what I and many people I know have experienced as a young person living in Urban London is what most young people go through - finding a good man and other relationship issues (tell me about it), dealing with traditional African parents, managing friendships, adapting to the professional world of work. The subject is the same but there are just slight cultural inflections – nothing that should be so difficult for a television producer to recreate. Are theses subjects boring, less sensationalist than the stereotype? Possibly. But in a country with a lack of understanding or respect for other cultures and each other, the message that these stereotypes are pushing out there is just detrimental to society as a whole. For someone whose only experience with Asians are the stereotypical story lines they see on the TV, can you imagine the impact on the perception and understanding of people from that community?

I guess my point is that there is little variety to the representations out there. With white characters you have a mixture of good and evil, on the right side of the law and on the wrong side of the law, doing well in life and not doing so well. You have variety. I am not denying that issues like arranged marriages, "black on black" crime and single parenthood exists in ethnic communities but when this is the only thing we see, then TV must be doing more damage than good.

Noel Clarke, holla at me, we can do business.

Back to Black...*(and White TV)*