BEST episode of Boondocks Season 3 so far

I just watched the best episode of 'The Boondocks' season 3 last night "Smoking with Cigarettes" and the opening is below.

Now I thought it was just a brilliant episode and never even heard of the below case until like...now. Thank you YouTube related videos. The below video made the episode even more brilliant.

No black-and-white answer for the lack of diversity on television

L.A. Times blog linked below

No black-and-white answer for the lack of diversity on television

Drake 'Thank Me Later' REVIEW

Let I get this straight from the get go. Drake’s album is more hip-pop than hip-hop and that’s ok. I like pop, I like hip-hop. A merger of the two, done successfully, can be good. Some of the songs sound like he’s (or rather his producers) been listening to a little too much Prince and don’t work, but some songs like “Shut it Down” (Featuring The-Dream) is the perfect song to be blasting cruising late night in your ride. Drake also does A LOT of singing in this album which sometimes works and sometimes don’t.


Most of the producing of the album was done by Noah "40" Shebib & Boi 1 Da and one if not both of them make some of the hottest tracks on the album, like “Over”& “Shut it Down”. Some of the songs they produced like “Fireworks” (Featuring Alicia Keys) & “Up All Night” (Featuring Nicki Minaj) can be hot if I hear them enough, but right now NO. In fact all of the guest performers, and he has some all-star guests, on this album never really add anything to it.


Even what used to be the best man in the biz, when it came to cameos, falls flat on “Miss Me” (Featuring Lil Wayne). In fact even though the song doesn’t work Drake has some of his best rhyming on this song and out rhymes Weezy. T.I. repays the favor and out rhymes Drake on another song that doesn’t work “Fancy” (Featuring T.I. & Swizz Beatz) despite a clever use of a Juvenile (the rapper) sample. “Unforgettable” (Featuring Young Jeezy) starting off with a nice sample from Aaliyah never continues to use it effectively and even Jeezy can’t save the song.


Despite what you may think of him, Kanye West is still one of the best producers in the game and both of the tracks he produced “Show Me a Good Time” and “Find Your Love” are some of the hottest on the album.

Out of the 13 (full) tracks on the album, only 4 are HOT. That makes less than half. As usual, below you can see exactly which tracks I thought were hot. Even though I’m really feeling the hot tracks, sorry Drake, I won’t thank you now and I doubt if I will thank you later.


1. Fireworks (Featuring Alicia Keys)
2. Karaoke
3. The Resistance
4. Over HOT
5. Show Me a Good Time HOT
6. Up All Night (Featuring Nicki Minaj) warm
7. Fancy (Featuring T.I. & Swizz Beatz)
8. Shut It Down (Featuring The-Dream)
HOT9. Unforgettable (Featuring Young Jeezy)
10. Light Up (Featuring Jay-Z)
11. Miss Me (Featuring Lil Wayne)
12. Cece's Interlude
13. Find Your Love HOT
14. Thank Me Now


July 4, 2010 Amendment: Okay I can admit when I'm wrong. The album is growing on me as a whole. Some of the songs that I can't even call "warm" yet work ok as you play the album in full.

Tracks I didn't think worked before now do...sorta. Lil Wayne's verses on Miss Me are still whack, but as I said before "Drake has some of his best rhyming on this song and out rhymes Weezy." I'm going to reclassify this song newlyHOT despite Lil Wayne's whackness. Another newlyHOT song Unforgettable (Featuring Young Jeezy) definitley grew on me as well. I still really like Up All Night (Featuring Nicki Minaj), but I'm not ready to classify it as HOT yet so it will stay warm. There are some newlywarm songs Fireworks (Featuring Alicia Keys) and The Resistance. I still find nothing fantastic about the songs, but they are very "listenable".

So NOW out of the 13 (full) tracks on the album, 6 are HOT and 3 warm. That makes 9 out of 13 tracks good or "gooder" a better average than I had only after a couple of days of listening to the album. I have reposted the tracks below where you can see exactly which tracks I thought were hot and now the newly reclassified rankings. Maybe indeed Drake...I will thank you later.


1. Fireworks (Featuring Alicia Keys) newlywarm
2. Karaoke
3. The Resistance newlywarm
4. Over HOT
5. Show Me a Good Time HOT
6. Up All Night (Featuring Nicki Minaj) warm
7. Fancy (Featuring T.I. & Swizz Beatz)
8. Shut It Down (Featuring The-Dream) HOT
9. Unforgettable (Featuring Young Jeezy) newlyHOT
10. Light Up (Featuring Jay-Z)
11. Miss Me (Featuring Lil Wayne) newlyHOT
12. Cece's Interlude
13. Find Your Love HOT
14. Thank Me Now

Fall TV Diversity Scorecard

Sure, we have a black president now, but do you want to see a real sign of racial progress? Read the full article with more pictures at the link below courtesy of TV SQUAD

Fall TV Diversity Scorecard

Oscar Micheaux: Going postal

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series, to be issued June 22, honors pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who wrote, directed, produced and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry did not exist. Micheaux’s entrepreneurial spirit and independent vision continue to inspire new generations of filmmakers and artists.

This stamp features a stylized portrait of Oscar Micheaux by Gary Kelley. The artwork is based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux, a portrait that appeared in his 1913 novel The Conquest.

Although only 15 of his movies are known to have survived in whole or in part, Micheaux has become a cinematic icon. In 1986, he was posthumously awarded a special Directors Guild of America award. In 1995, the Producers Guild of America established the Oscar Micheaux Award to honor “an individual or individuals whose achievements in film and television have been accomplished despite difficult odds.”

July 7, 2010 UPDATE: USA Philatelic (stamp collectors) has a great page with LINKS to collectors editions of the stamp right here

What are the "Upfronts"?

I LOVE the Upfronts. Upfront week for television is when you learn what's been officially cancelled and get scoop on the upcoming new television shows.

Some shows get "early renewals", but for most shows they have to wait until their network's Upfront presentation to find out. The people on the show (cast and crew) of course finds out before, but not that long before. Usually news will leak to the media about what is cancelled, but the network Upfront presentation is the official word.

What exactly are the Upfronts though?

In the North American television industry, an upfront is a meeting hosted at the start of important advertising sales periods by television network executives, attended by the press and major advertisers. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy commercial airtime "up front", or several months before the television season begins.

In the United States, the major broadcast networks' upfronts occur in New York City during the third week of May, the last full week of that month's sweeps period. The networks announce their fall primetime schedules, including tentative launch dates (i.e., fall or midseason) for new programming, which may be "picked up" the week before. The programming announcements themselves are usually augmented with clips from the new series, extravagant musical numbers, comedic scenes, and appearances by network stars, and take place at grand venues such as Radio City Music Hall or Carnegie Hall. Most cable networks present earlier in the spring since they usually program for the summer months; press attention to these announcements is usually much lighter.-Wikipedia

Most times though you here about cancelled shows early like the cancellation this year of the venerable Law & Order. During the summer the networks hype their new shows with television and print ads and most notably during the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

To be all on the scoop like I am you can check out Broadcasting & Cable magazine's page devoted to the Upfronts at the link below by clicking the graphic. WARNING: This is from an industry trade magazine and may get "industry technical". If you have questions post them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.-Dankwa Brooks

May 4, 2011

posted a great article that sheds light on the whole "pilot season" upfront process here

May 23, 2011
The Best and Worst of Upfront Week 2011 : "It didn't stop raining all week, a cable network exec by far was the biggest star on any stage and a flash mob even broke out at a network run by a guy named Pedowitz. Yes, Upfront Week 2011 left us all with plenty of memories."

May 24, 2010

The Best and Worst of Upfront Week 2010 : "We won’t really know anything about the new slate of shows until the fall, but this year’s upfront presentations had plenty of highs and lows. If you couldn’t score a hot upfront ticket, here’s what you missed."

Why Did I Get Married Too? Box Office so far

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Production Budget: $20 million
Release Date: April 2, 2010
Domestic Total as of Apr. 14, 2010: $50,221,047

PROFIT: About $30 million so far.









Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?

Production Budget: $15 million
Release Date: October 12, 2007
Domestic Total Gross: $55,204,525

PROFIT: About $43 million.

*Note: films like these i.e. black films traditionally don't make money overseas and this film was no exception. The film made only $658,361 overseas box office.



August 20, 2010 UPDATE

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Production Budget: $20 million
Release Date: April 2, 2010
Domestic Total Gross as of August 20, 2010: $60,095,852

PROFIT: About $40 million so far.

This title will be released on DVD on August 31, 2010