Bitchassness kills your game, my brothers...

Hey hey, back from Miami people, got my skin an upgrade and I'm ready to get back on it...well I was, until my train was cancelled and the rain was coming at me sideways this morning.

Anywho, while in Miami, I caught the whole of the most recent series of Making the Band...man are they a bunch of sissies!! Drama, crying, making up and breaking up, it was just too much! Now, I'm all for men showing their sensitive side but when they are squaring off to each other with their hands on their hips and doing the chicken neck, I think things just got a little bit too emotional. Willie, Que, Robert, Brian and Mike - I don't find any of them attractive...and their antics on the show don't help either. So my question is.... are reality TV programmes sometimes too real?

With anti-publicity hungry film stars like Matt Damon and even artists like Beyonce, the mystery of what they are like in real life adds to the intrigue and interest in them. As much as I get on Beyonce's back about being a closed book, in some ways it's a great marketing tool - being a mystery keeps people talking about her and buying into what she sells just so that they can maybe get a glimpse of what she is really like. It's like a girl giving it all up on the first date...are guys still interested afterwards?

While shows like MTB, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and Living with the Lohans aim to give 'fans' an insight into the lives of these stars in the hope that it creates an emotional tie to them so that they keep buying into them as brands, the other end is that it shows you way too much of a person, flaws and all. While it seems like the process works, (Day 26 and Danity Kane have achieved success), how long does it last for, will the bubble eventually burst, are they deemed credible enough for me to spend my dollars on (still in Miami mode)? In the end, you realise that these beautiful people who you thought were attractive, the best thing since sliced bread and were people you would scream your lungs out for, are actually like any other person on the street, a brat, or an annoying diva with way too much bitchassness. Still want to buy into that?

Bitchassness kills your game, my brothers...

Move Over Sex, Swagger Sells Now!

Hey guys,

I'm off to Miami in a couple of days so thought I would leave you with a parting gift...so ta da, here it is...

I guess most of you have seen Kanye get "murdered" by South Park last week. If not and you're in need of some deep belly laughs click here.

It got me thinking about the point where confidence turns into arrogance. Kanye is well known for thinking that he is the best thing since Adidas Shell Toes, but as a rapper and part of hip hop culture, isn't arrogance part of the criteria? From the days of LL Cool J and Run DMC and even earlier, lyrical content was focused on how great the rapper was in comparison to the "wack" competition. But has Kanye taken it too far? Is he just a unique example of someone who has taken their 'rap' persona and allowed it to transcend into normal life, leaving all humility behind.

Another question I have is with the word 'swagger'. What is it exactly? Is it confidence, the way a person carries themselves and does it require an ounce or two of arrogance to hit the right spot? Can you have swagger without being arrogant? Nowadays, Swagger Sells, swagger makes the ladies swoon, swagger is the essence of cool masculinity, swagger makes hit records, swagger makes blockbuster films. Moving away from the entertainment industry for a sec, I've been trying to set a girlfriend of mine up for the longest and every nice guy I suggest, I'm hit with the same response: "hmm...he's nice...he's good looking...but he ain't got swagger". This swagger search is gonna leave my friend old, lonely and childless with cats if she doesn't get over it.

Is there such a thing as 'natural swagger'? Can a person just have it. Some people go as far as trying to manufacture it....

But is swagger ever natural in the first place. Isn't it a bravado, a false exterior presented to the public as part of an image? Inside, the person might be a shy, crumbling wreck, who watches Dr Phil with a box of tissues on his lap.

I just wonder how the three - swagger, confidence and arrogance interact and why some do it successfully e.g. TI, Denzel Washington, Jay Z, Rihanna (this is my list) and others get their heart ripped out on shows like South Park.

What are your thoughts...who makes your top 10?

Move Over Sex, Swagger Sells Now!

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

Model Search...and no I'm not Tyra

Hey

I'm am looking for models to take part in a mini documentary. It will focus on ethnic models pursuing a career in high fashion. The criteria are as follows:

Must be with an agency and attend regular castings

Must be a high fashion model

Must be of ethnic origin

Simple really.

If you are interested, please email me with your name, age, height, agency and attach a picture. Alternatively, if you know anyone that would be suitable, please forward them the details.

Thanks

mowusu_85@hotmail.com

Model Search...and no I'm not Tyra

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?

...And they lived Happily Ever After....

Hey People

Well, by now I guess you have all heard the news about Chrianna..I'm not going to go into it, you can read about it at the one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seven other blogs who are already going crazy over the alleged antics.

Relationships in the public eye - that's where my mind is at. It's a major part of celeb culture and can be both positive and negative to the parties involved. 'Brand Beckham' for example, Victoria's ribs need David and David's balls need Vicki to maintain their status and riches. 'Are they, aren't they dating' stories sell films when on a normal basis they might have gone straight to DVD. If we're honest, it's what us old romantics like to see (If you're not an old romantic, you'll probably disagree with me from this point forth). We watch these actors on screen fall in love and suddenly they're public property and thanks to the beloved paparazzi aka 'rats on scooters' we get to see them 'fall in love' off screen too.

Here is where the confusion lies - because we see them act out their happy ending at the end of a film, its easy to believe that their lives are a typical chick-flick too. Speaking for myself, I was absolutely DEVASTATED about the whole Jennifer, Brad and Angelina episode. It was like he cheated on ME - I had put faith into them as a Hollywood couple that would last. I thought 'aw, that's so lovely, he's settled down and Rachel from friends has finally gotten over Ross!'

It's easy to forget that people in the public eye are exactly that: PEOPLE. They go through the same mess as the rest of us except that everyone knows their business - Facebook Stalking multiplied by 1000. This is no way in defence of Chris Breezy but I guess the whole incident serves as a reminder that the happy pics that we see in blogs or the column inches we pore over in the magazines are just stories...sometimes minus the knight in shining armour and happily ever after.

...And they lived Happily Ever After....

Is there a need for 'Ethnic' press?

As many of you may have already heard, New Nation (a paper that catered for African & Caribbean communities) has closed after its parent company Ethnic Media Group went into administration. The Eastern Eye, a paper for the Asian community under the same parent was sold and has plans to continue. There has been no buyer for the New Nation meaning that unfortunately it's sayonara.

What has inspired me to blog on this was an article by Angela Foster in The Guardian: Why we still need a black press. Interestingly enough, it wasn't the actual feature (taking nothing away from Foster) but the comments afterwards:

"This is racist...imagine a paper calling itself white and having a competition for the sexiest white people...its regressive and divisive...there's no black community just as there is no white community...put skin colour away and celebrate humanity...the media does give coverage to stories affecting the black community - Stephen Lawrence, racist chanting at football clubs, Obama..." I'm gonna stop because that last comment was just...wow.

My argument is the same that I use for arguments against the MOBOs, Miss Black Britain and other initiatives aimed at celebrating ethnic communities: we live in a country where historically industries have been white. We are still not at a place where things are equal and we are all on an even playing field with fair representation. Will we ever get to that place, I don't know, but I do welcome ways in which the under-represented have a voice. In Ghana for instance, it is predominantly black (obviously) but for the other 'ethnic minorities' there (White, Indian, Chinese) I am sure that they would enjoy reading about issues related to them AS WELL AS mainstream Ghanaian press.

I think this is a result of the way we handle race issues in the U.K. In the U.S the issue of race is out in the open, it is discussed and everyone knows there are things that need addressing. However in the U.K with it's 'multi-cultural' emphasis, some believe that we are already doing so much to 'accommodate' and 'tolerate' (hate those words - sorry to be a burden) people of different races. Yes London is one of the most diverse places in the world but that doesn't mean that we will all immediately get along. It doesn't automatically mean that no one is bothered by race anymore. The 'I'm not racist, I have a Paki friend' attitude only hides the real issues that we have in this country and the growing frustration of some non-ethnics who believe that 'affirmative action' is getting put of hand.

PERSONALLY I wish that there was a way to have more integration. Specialist press has it's benefits, I don't disagree with that -mainstream press often fails to give the perspective that a niche offering can give. For instance, my Dad is a massive fan of Al Jazeera because it doesn't have that western influence. Speaking of Al Jazeera, they have just signed a partnership with the Independent to stream AJ content on the Independent website. This is exactly what I am talking about. Nobody I know goes to ONE place to get all of their news; I read the Guardian and other mainstream media everyday for UK and world news and go to the blogs and online sites to satisfy my other needs. To have all of this is one place would be integration at its best and I believe that partnerships and collaborations offline and online might be the way forward.

So much more to write about but I'm trying to avoid these essay type posts. Continue the discussion below with your thoughts - speak on it!!!

Is there a need for 'Ethnic' press?