CBS Sunday Morning's Hail and Farewell... they didn't even have to say his name

Some people accuse me of being a morbid person just because I look forward to the Memoriam portion of the Oscar, SAG, and other award show telecasts. I'm hardly morbid, as demonstrated by my avoidance of the obituary section of my local newspaper. I just believe that you should give those who passed away their props.

In line with that belief, I tuned into CBS's Sunday Morning for their yearly Hail and Farewell segment. Per usual, I recorded the segment and I have to say that I appreciated how they handled this year's segment. Sure, Brittany Murphy was missing from the reel, which is somewhat bothersome, but Sunday Morning is pretty good about showing deaths of significant people from various segments of American life and culture, so I won't quibble too much.

Michael Jackson led the retrospective, but the curious thing is that they never mentioned his name. And I'm pretty sure that his segment was the longest, with more clips of him in his glory, from childhood to pre-accusations. They just showed clips of him performing at various ages. And Charles Osgood touched on all aspects of his public life, without getting vulgar or snarky. And his comment 'But when he was gone, we were reminded, once again, at how it all began - with that extraordinary talent', it was absolutely appropriate and consistent with the way Sunday Morning handles their stories and segments.

This is not to say that MJ was singled out for his downturns. During Ted Kennedy's segment, Osgood didn't mention the accident - they used front pages of newspapers/old news clips, and old footage of Kennedy himself addressing the accident. And like with the MJ segment, the description of Kennedy's life and accomplishments ended on a somewhat upbeat note.

Now, they didn't address the embarrassing Oral Roberts incident in which he told his TV viewing audience to send money or God would kill him - and that was fine with me. It was a grotesque thing to do, but like the others, his accomplishments were at the forefront.

And I do think that Paul Harvey had some cringe-worthy moments too, but I think that Sunday Morning wanted to maintain their usual elegance instead of being obnoxious finger pointers.

But back to MJ - they didn't even have to say his name. I'm pretty sure that they said James Brown's name when he passed. And Marvin Gaye. And Gene Kelly. And Fred Astaire. And Sammy Davis Jr. And both Harold and Fayard Nicholas. The not having to say his name treatment is reserved for the higher tier of legends like Chaplin. If it's within his ability, I bet that thought made MJ smile.

Merry Christmas, Michael!

I realize that, for many years, MJ was conflicted about celebrating Christmas, given that he was raised as a Jehovah Witness, but there were instances when he did celebrate the day. Personally, I'm not a huge celebrator of Christmas either, unless I'm hanging out with my niece or my friends' kids. Children always make Christmas and since I will have to wait another day to see the niece, I wanted to post these MJ videos, mainly because I suspect that he will be on many people's minds today.

First...a cameo appearance in Why, a music video with his nephews, aka 3T. A few weeks ago on Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, 3T, specifically, TJ and Taj were discussing their hesitance to return to the recording studio for their project because that was where they learned of their uncle's death. After seeing how much their uncle's death is immobilizing them, I sought out their music video and I have to say that it's becoming a favorite. Not only were these boys talented, it was evident the affection they had towards their uncle and him them. MJ was totally beaming with pride and it's a beautiful thing to see.



And obviously, while the nieces and nephews are likely having a hard time today, I'm sure that it's worse for Prince, Paris and Blanket. Here's a clip of the final installment of MJ's Private Home Movies, featuring Prince and Paris. Right now, I can't watch it because it makes me too sad.



Here's hoping that those who loved MJ will have more joy and peace than sorrow on this day.

An early Christmas gift... from the FBI

So a couple of days ago, the FBI released Michael Jackson's FBI files. Apparently, there were so many requests for copies that the FBI decided to post 300+ pages on their website.

Lucky us... lucky public.

Because, instead of depending on the media to 'interprete' the results, the public can pour through the pages themselves and reach their own conclusions. I did, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and reached this conclusion - MICHAEL JACKSON WAS INNOCENT!!!!!

The FBI found NOTHING!!!!

No kiddie porn was found on any of his 16 computers.

The FBI had to investigate allegations of abuse that weren't made through law enforcement agencies, but through tabloids and overzealous ambitious 'journalists'.

When Jordan Chandler was asked to testify in the Arvizo case, he threatened legal action against Tom Sneddon if he pressed the matter.

Mind you, the thing that killed me about the Chandler part was that he cited that he 'did enough' for the shady DA already. Yeah... 'did enough' as in let Daddy make the allegations and collect a huge paycheck for it'... yeah... that's 'doing enough'.

There were threats made by a Janet Jackson stalker promising to kill MJ if he didn't shell out some cash; dude eventually showed up at the Havenhurst estate and was prompted arrested and jailed.

The two witnesses, MJ's former employees, were pursued for questioning in the Philippines - nothing could be made of their testimonies because with every check they received from the tabloids/tabloid television shows, their stories escalated (read: the lies grew bigger than Babe the Blue Ox).

There were several documents that were duplicated; some were redacted in order to protect the identities of the witnesses, but they were still worth reading, especially if you were a longtime MJ fan. Longtime fans can fill in the redacted spaces for themselves.

As for the media coverage of these files, I am not the least bit surprised that they took a salacious approach to the relevations, although I do marvel at their convenient memories. For example, the Terry George angle. A lot of the media outlets are implying that Terry George had to endure a phone sex call from MJ back in the 70s; but they fail to mention that this dude's account, much like most of the so-called witnesses in the '04 trial, changed, depending on whom he was talking to at the time. Upon MJ's death, he even went as far as making a tribute website to MJ, which is absolutely consistent with someone who was 'violated' by said decedent. And apparently, after the so-called unpleasantness, George continued to call MJ until his parents cut him off because he ran up a huge phone bill. And when he called MJ numerous times collect, MJ didn't accept the calls. Much like Gavin Arvizo, George apparently couldn't quit MJ, even after MJ 'violated' him. Like Arvizo, George acted like a jealous b*tch when MJ distanced himself from him. And like Arvizo, he turned not to law enforcement, but to an outside party (read: the press) to get some sort of satisfaction and maybe even MJ's attention.

Seriously... what is it about MJ that brought out the Alex Forrest b*tch out of men?

At any rate, please, read the FBI files yourselves and don't depend on Inside Edition or Entertainment Tonight to tell you the straight dope. After all, Entertainment Tonight is produced by a former Hard Copy producer - hence, the re-emergence of hackjob whackjob Diane Dimond. An outfit that had no qualms propping up an obviously grief-stricken and thoroughly chemically impaired Anna Nicole Smith in front the cameras months following her son's death, through her attempts to lie about her child's paternity, her death, the Daniellyn paternity/custody fight, etc. This outfit that very nearly aired an alleged Heath Ledger drug tape mere days after his death - until TPTB felt the full measure of HW's wrath aka dozens of high profiled stars/agents threatened to boycott their show and cut off their access to the A-list. And let's not forget about their refusal to recant their 'Angelina gives birth to twin daughters Amelie and Isla' story, in which Mary Hart subsequently challenged Angelina to emerge from doctor-instructed bed rest in order to prove that she hadn't delivered the girls.

Entertainment Tonight, while glossier than Hard Copy, is just Hard Copy in drag. Count on them for glossy interviews; count on them for weekend box office numbers; but DO NOT count on them to interprete legal documents. Read them yourself.

And BTW, ET, the so-called tape that was found by customs... the report didn't say that they wouldn't disclose what was on the tape; the report said that due to it being a fifth generation reproduction, they couldn't definitively determine the contents of the tape. Big fcuking difference, @$$hats!!!!!

MJ was innocent.

And another BTW... isn't it scary how easily your FBI file could be padded, if tabloids were so inclined?

People Magazine is really pressing its luck!!!

First, they did that ridiculous '6 page spread' regarding the state of the Brad and Angelina's relationship - 6 pages that consisted of 6 pages of photos and six paragraphs of story, which apparently, was put together by 6 or 7 people. Now, they did this.

Bought the year end edition of People Magazine, featuring a lovely picture of Taylor Swift on the cover, along with MJ's pic for the farewell section. I typically buy this issue because of the tributes section - you have to give props to those who have passed.

As I was ringing up the mag, I got a snootful of grinning, preening butterfaced Jennifer Aniston on the back cover. Apparently, People decided to create a section highlighting the best of the decade, and apparently, Jennifer Aniston epitomed 'the best' of the 00's.

Puh-leeze!!!!

Probably the best at milking a nearly five year old breakup/divorce.

The best at milking a B-plus ensemble sitcom, which, again, saw its day five years ago.

The best at fooling princesses into believing that she's actively seeing good husband/father material, with the likes of Vince Vaughn and John Mayer.

She was deemed 'Friend Forever', which could be read as her being considered America's friend - myself, I read it as the b*tch can't play anything except her Friends part. And yet, People had the nerve to say that she's a 'full-blown movie star'.

Come on!!!

Tell me, People... are you all doing this because the b*tch, rightfully so, was omitted from the Most Beautiful list? Or did you make some deal with her camp to exchange her with another horseface, Chelsea Handler, who, strangely enough, decided to be the mouthpiece for the chronicly discontented princesses who are facing year five of the Brad and Angelina relationship, despite their incessant insistence that the relationship is on its last legs?

Crony-ism is pathetic, but People made it all the more pathetic by having Aniston helming a Bonus Section which only spanned 19 pages!!!!

Pretty lame, People, made all the more lame by the fact that this is the b*tch's second time in two years, being the cover for the year end issue. Mind you, I prefer to think of Taylor Swift as the legitimate cover girl of the issue - hell, she even dressed up in ravishing red for the party, whereas People used a typical Aniston in black stock pic.

Because, really, I like thinking that the promise of a new decade is exemplified by Aniston's smiling puss. I mean, we haven't had enough crappy, contrived romantic comedies yet, have we?

Joy Behar apologizes... for why?

Supposedly, The View is a female-oriented show, although it doesn't stop them from dissing and judging other women. Of course, they do hold their tongue when pressed by the higher ups (read: Barbara Walters) as evidenced by their 'cheering on' Barbara Walters after she revealed her 2 year affair with a married Black congressman back in the 70s, and yet, they made a meal out of Angelina Jolie, who was never proven to have had an affair with Brad Pitt. But that's neither here or there - consideration happens. But why is Gloria Allred, of all people, subject to consideration?

Joy Behar made a lame play on words using Rachel Uchitel's name which implied that she was a hooker and Joy was made to apologize.

For why?

Didn't she hire the biggest famewhore lawyer on Earth, Gloria Allred, to broker a deal to receive compensation from a dude who, possibly, occupied the space between her thighs? Because that sounds like something a pimp would do for a ho. And pimps usually get a cut of the take. So why did Joy Behar have to apologize?

And personally, while I would love nothing more than to drop kick that Allred b*tch, I am dying to hear Allred's feminist-tinged spin about this whole issue. I know that there are some feminists who believe that prostitution can be taken back from its misogynist roots and reinterpreted in a feminist way - I want to hear Allred spin this crap, assuming she sticks around. She tends to jump ship about certain issues like the Octomom, when she doesn't stand to profit from it financially or PR wise. And she always seems to back lame horses like Mel B, Hunter Tylo, those Rob Lowe nannies, although the Hunter Tylo case still bugs the hell out of me - that b*tch knew that she couldn't pull off the role that Lisa Rinna eventually got - her pregnancy had nothing to do with anything.

Still, Allred tends to win cases, damn her. And obviously, she used her clout to spay Joy. This b*tch needs to be stopped. She is not GrandMama brokering a deal for Gigi. She's a pimp with a growing stable of skanky b*tches. Yeah... I heard about 40-something #14.

And on that note, I'm going to let Suzanne Sugarbaker voice mine and many other people's sentiments about these big-mouthed skanks who are profiting from being Tiger's hookers.

And one more thing...

Jackson 4 and I do realize that you were Michael's brothers, but who the fcuk are you to include his songs on your setlist? And pray tell... who's going to sing MJ's songs - Jermaine?!!!

Of course Jermaine - the one who groused ever single time Michael's songs received any sort of attention and acclaim?!!!

It's already bad enough that the Jackson 4 will be performing J5 songs, which was mainly performed by Michael; now they want to bite from Michael's solo efforts?

And Jermaine possibly performing them? Like he performed Smile at the memorial? I was trying to be respectful but not saying $hit, given that he was performing at his brother's funeral, but some months have passed, so I can say this - Jermaine sucked!

Sucked hard!

Sucked profoundly!

Sucked even worse than his hair!

SUCKED!!!!

So the brothers to take leave of that idea, or possibly face the Michael Jackson curse. Because there really is a Michael Jackson curse going on. We already saw it with the tribute concert getting no bites. We saw how horribly Jermaine's career tanked after the Word to the Badd bull$h*t! Jackie, Tito and Marlon seem cool enough and don't seem to deserve the wrath of the curse - Jermaine, on the other hand, seems to be begging for it.

If the curse obliges, I hope I don't miss it.

The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty - not quite a review

So I watched some of The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty last night - not because I forgot that it was coming on, but because A & E failed to advertise when the premiere was supposed to start. I knew that it's usual time would be at 10 p.m. Sunday, so that was when I planned to watch. Unfortunately, when I was merely channel-surfing, I realized that A & E started the party early. I didn't see the first episode in full, so I really can't comment too much on it. I did see the part when Jackie's (?) son, Siggy, threw a hissy because his dad and uncles kept bickering while playing B-ball. For me, that was worth seeing and personally, if the show emphasizes on the brothers' relationship with their children, especially if said children shock these mugs out of their tunnel-visioned narcissism, then this show will be worth seeing.

Mind you, the second episode was mainly about the surviving Jackson 5, and frankly, Jackie, Tito and Marlon came across pretty good. Pretty good, only because it is obvious that to them, returning to J5 glory is a quick way to make relatively easy cash. I don't mind the money grab, since it's tempered with the vibe that they aren't that fame-hungry. Jermaine, of course, wants both, or rather, he thinks that he deserves both, despite not putting forth anything resembling a legitimate effort. The best example of this was when he and Tito met with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the two powerhouses responsible for Janet's early music successes. When Jam and Lewis asked Jermaine about what he wanted, in terms of material for the brothers, Jermaine just said 'Hits'!

Hits!

Really?

For me, it reaffirmed several things about Jermaine. First, dude is not interested, whatsoever, in creating anything personal - just profitable. Second, it reminded me of the Word to the Badd debacle, when Jermaine got bent out of shape when the LaFace writers and producers ditched him in order to work with Michael. Yes, writing and producing for Michael would've been a huge feather in their cap, but there was also the fact that Michael was very hands on in the creative process, which was probably why he eventually ditched LaFace when neither he or the writers yielded anything satisfactory. Third, Jermaine is willing to forego a golden opportunity to create something personal and distinctive in favor of expediancy and quick cash and fame. Forth, despite assuming the position as leader of the surviving Jackson 5, he doesn't do anything to facilitate a creative environment for his three brothers, who could fill in the slack while he's showboating.

But enough about Jermaine, although I guffawed when he was crying like a b*tch when 'the brothers left him at Motown' - but again, this is the same dude who had a solo career while with the J5 but threw a hissy fit when Michael eventually left the brothers for his own incomprehensibly successful career. But again, I hope that the show will focus on the so-called future Jackson entertainers, especially if there are some who will deliver some home truths to their fathers. Siggy did it, and surprisingly, Tito's sons, provided some much needed honesty about some issues. Like when they indicated that they wanted to take a rest from making music because they are still grappling with their Uncle Mike's death. Tito heard that they wanted to break up 3T, which wasn't what they said. One of the saddest moments was when Taj said that he heard about his Uncle Mike's death on the news versus getting a call from the family. And clearly, his and his brothers' relationship with their Uncle Mike went beyond him helping them with their debut album. More moments like this will make the show a must see.

Unfortunately, the brothers have a firm vision in mind, but like many things about J5, their ideas are pretty outdated and played out. But I will keep my fingers crossed for surprise nuggets from the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Was Ryan White the reason why?

The Michael Jackson story continues to grip me and refuse to let me go, or rather, I refuse to let it go. I think I can't let it go out of guilt. As a kid, I loved Michael Jackson wholeheartedly and unapologetic, despite the rampant verbal insults towards him and his possible sexual orientation. Those barrages bounced off of me so easily. However, when I became an adult, I seemed to become more cowardly and less intuitive, allowing my opinions to be tainted. It is not to say that I believed the accusations, but I believed that something had to be there in order to warrant the seemingly endless onslaught. And I was well into my feeling sorry for myself because I was molested phase, which was not a fun phase to go through. It was fine that I went through it, especially since I, for the most part, have come through it feeling like my old intuitive self, but it did come at the cost of MJ. I have never met him and was never in a position to meet him, let alone see him in a concert, but good vibes can be felt, especially when it's contrary to the tsunami of negativity he experienced. I regret that I wasn't there to cheer him through his darkest moments, although I'm well-aware that it may have been possible that he would've never felt or knew about it.

Now to the 'journalists' and pundits who made their careers out of MJ's misfortunes, yes, racism could've been a factor in the voraciousness of their stories. Jealousy and envy could be a factor. But I think that looking at what these 'journalists' zero in on can reveal the real story, specifically, they zero in on the Jordan Chandler case of 1993. For these people, that was when Michael Jackson's life began and ended, at least that is what they think. But as an 80s child who watched him during the Thriller/Bad/Dangerous period, there was more going on with him than him counting his money or collecting gold and platinum albums, or receiving humanitarian awards from presidents and other dignitaries. Ryan White happened to him.

Ryan White, for those who wasn't alive during the 80s, was a 12 year old hemophiliac who was given tainted blood, which resulted in him getting AIDS. A Kokomo, Indiana native, he was harassed when he attempted to return to school. Some loving parents decided to pull their children out of school because they feared the danger this boy's condition could pose for their own. Mind you, this was the 80s and a lot was not known about HIV/AIDS, but this disease gave a lot of people permission to act ignorantly. I even remember towns blocking the burials of those who succumbed to the disease, citing that they believed that the disease would seep into the groundwater. The hysteria back then was very reminiscent of the hysteria associated with Obama's attempt at reforming America's health care system, but back then, so-called 'good parents' didn't think twice about stepping all over the rights of a 12 year boy who was trying to return to some normalcy, despite his dire diagnosis.

Many celebrities stepped into the White family's fight, but when Michael Jackson entered into it, it was a game changer. While it wasn't like Michael Jackson was wagging his fingers at the parents who mobilized and tried to re-establish segregation, the fact that Michael Jackson, a Black man who always had his sexuality questioned, publicly befriended a child who had 'the gay disease', I would think that this action made these parents look like bigger fools. Michael Jackson was at the top of his game, and yet, he wasn't scared of being felled by this disease. Not only did he establish a friendship with Ryan and his family, he opened his home to them often and when they invited him into their home, he readily accepted it. Imagine that... a California liberal behaving like the stereotypical Midwesterners, while legitimate Midwesterners acted like cowardly fascists.

When Ryan died, Michael attended the funeral and continued to follow up with Ryan's survivors, especially his mother. He also wrote a tribute song for Ryan, Gone Too Soon, and included it on his Dangerous album. While some would've closed this enlightening, yet emotionally draining chapter of one's life, MJ seemed to be motivated by what happened to Ryan and the Whites and made a concerted effort to make sure that children and families who could feel isolated and ostracized by a paranoid and often ignorant community not feel isolated. So he opened Neverland Ranch wide and allowed various types of children with various kinds of life circumstances to have a temporary escape. And for several years, Neverland Ranch fulfilled Michael's purpose; unfortunately for Michael, he never considered that all families weren't like the White family. It was likely that before Ryan's illness, the Whites were good people, therefore post-diagnosis/prognosis, they remained good people. In addition, they experienced adversity and knew the sting of being let down by their greater community, therefore, an added sense of humanity and empathy may have colored them. Unfortunately for Michael, not every human being is capable of accepting kindnesses and possibly, paying it forward. There are those who are so empty that the accumulation of too much is still not enough. And the same people can't grasp the concept of reciprocity.

Just look at the Chandlers - neither children were sick. Their fathers were self-made men... and yet, nothing MJ did for them was ever enough. Jeanne White invited Michael to stay at her house; Evan Chandler invited Michael to stay at his house - but eventually asked Michael to pony up some dough to build a new wing. Michael hung out with the single parent family headed by Jeanne White at his home or their home; while he hung out at both the Schwartzes and Chandler home, he also footed the bill when still-married June, along with her two children, traveled with him to Monaco. Initially, I'm sure that MJ felt a sense of satisfaction in helping and befriending these people, but what did they ever really give him in return? Lawsuits, negative publicity, and quite likely, a serious case of self-doubt about acts that were supposed to be giving, supportive and loving.

By some miracle, MJ rebounded emotionally, when he decided to help the Arvizos. This time, the family was working class and one of their children was legitimately ill, therefore they would accept his help and support without a nefarious agenda, right? Mind you, the family was a two-parent household -- although later, the father was shoved out due to alleged domestic violence. The family eventually stayed at Neverland; however, Michael was never invited to their home, mainly because the house/apartment was struned with big ticket items conned out of other celebrities. While Michael wasn't present during Ryan's subsequent treatments, he was available or reasonably accessible during Gavin's treatments. Like with Ryan, Michael lavished Gavin and his family with luxuries in hopes of bolstering their spirits. But unlike Ryan, Gavin did recover and returned to his lying larcenous self and got major backup from his family, the DA's office, and the ever-ready band of liars posing as journalists. From there, the perception that Michael Jackson trolled for unsuspecting child meat after sampling Jordan Chandler's began.

For those who lived through the 80s, they know that so-called journalists' time lines regarding MJ's associations with children is shaky at best; however, these journalists and their made up propaganda served another possible purpose - redemption for the American parent. Immediately after MJ's death, many pundit posed the rhetorical question 'Would you allow MJ around your children?' in which they would automatically answer 'No.' And while this exchange totally obliterate the point of rhetorical questions, it does reaffirm the American parent's position that they are good parents because of this particular stance. Maybe taking this stance against MJ now will erase the ignorance that they readily engaged in when it came to Ryan White... right?

Wrong!

Because these journalists, on behalf of these American parents, are setting up more children to be ostracized due to parental ignorance - the Jackson children. Will they get the gentle kid-glove treatment that the reputed Jordan Chandler/Gavin Arvizo liars got? I don't think so. Just look at the 'tact' they demonstrated towards these mourning children - incessant molestation talk, questions about their true paternity, their on-air pleas for possible egg/sperm donors and surrogates to come out of hiding? If this was anyone else besides Michael Jackson, these journalists wouldn't have the cheek to go there and essentially put the whole system of surrogacy and alternative reproductive practices in jeopardy.

Michael Jackson was a rare bird - he was an adult who actually learned something and tried to apply that lesson to the way he lived his life. He learned from Ryan that all children wanted was to be treated fairly and equally - something that Michael was continuously denied during his life and after his passing.

However, there is always hope if astute, free thinking people do some independent investigations instead of depending on the Nancy Graces/Diane Dimonds of the world. These people aren't receptive or intuitive; therefore, they work hard to add more people to their ranks and already, the world is becoming a louder, more detached place.

On the flip side, here's a clip of two dudes who were obviously receptive to MJ's brilliance and created something pretty fabulous in its wake.

The Princess and the Frog - not quite a review

I liked The Princess and the Frog; unfortunately, there are several things that caused me not to love it.

Anika Noni Rose - loved her as Tiana.

Loved the beginning of the film, establishing Tiana's background, especially her relationship with her father.

Loved a couple of the songs.

Loved Louis the alligator.

Loved Loved LOVED Ray the lightning bug. For me, Ray's love for Evangeline saved the movie for me.

However...

Didn't like the majority of Randy Newman's songs. They sounded like his previous efforts from the Toy Story movies, Parenthood, etc. For me, Randy Newman seems incapable (or unwilling) to immerse himself into a film's source material and producing music that enhances it. Quincy Jones can - kinda wished that Disney asked Quincy to lend a hand to this enterprise.

Also, there was a lack of commitment to the story, or rather, the story never seemed to get off the ground. The dialogue between Tiana and Naveen was typical romantic comedy banter, which is not a compliment. I think that Tiana deserved better, in terms of a love interest. The writers did very little to flesh out the Naveen character. He was just handsome and fun-loving - allegedly.

But the biggest crime, IMO, is that despite the animation medium, the writers, producers and TPTB still shrank from depicting interracial romance in an authentic way. Yes, this film took place in the early 20th century Louisiana where miscegnation was illegal, but Disney decided to skim over that historical fact and pressed ahead with a Tiana/Naveen romance. And yes, this is a G-rated movie, but still - where was the heat? Where was the chemistry? Where was the intimacy and mutual understanding? In Up, there was precious little time to establish Ellie and Carl's bond, but it was accomplished rather brilliantly. You mean to tell me that Disney, a studio that reverted back to the time-consuming hand-drawn process, didn't have the time to flesh out these characters' connection?

Again, it's awesome that Disney finally got off the stick regarding representing people of color, but they still have a long way to go. Good story is good story and seriously, being afraid to depict sparks between characters of color is becoming a played out excuse.

Mind you, the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and that alone makes the film worth seeing.

CBS is getting their NBC on

So now, CBS is getting rid of As The World Turns.

The ax will come down nearly a year to the day that they killed Guiding Light.

So in September 2010, CBS's daytime line up will consist of two Bell soaps - The Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful. While the thought of these two soaps surviving is reassuring, given that they are pretty good, at times, it's still disheartening that CBS can clip two shows that were on-air for a sum total of 120+ years. It just seems cruel and shortsighted, especially when there is a network (NBC) who pulled the same crap back in the 90s and they are still suffering.

Mind you, I haven't watched As The World Turns in years, mainly because I got sick of the incessant Carly and Lily whining. How many times can Jack and Carly and Lily and Holden break up and make up before it becomes contrived? But I have to say that one of my favorite ATWT storyline was when young Will Munson bumped off the biggest whiner, Rose, using antifreeze. I really enjoyed that storyline. I also dug the Emily screwing around with Chris, her sister/daughter's fiance and everything came to a head at the altar. But that whole story was topped off when Hal forgave Emily for the transgression. I also like the storyline involving Jack having amnesia and hooking up with a different Julia than the bat$h*t one of yore; unfortunately, she was whiny too. But for me, the most pointless storyline ever was when Margo and Jessica were at each other's throats over that football player.

I remember watching this show back in the day, specifically, during the day when Meg Ryan portrayed Betsy. You could see her potential even back then. I vaguely remember Marisa Tomei and Julianne Moore, but barely. I think that this was during the time when I went over to NBC, but who knows. I think that ATWT was a little too sophisticated for my childlike mind, although, again, I found Meg Ryan absolutely appealing as an actress.

With the end of ATWT, the ranks among NYC-based soap operas continue to shrink. It's wrong to generalize, but you can definitely tell the NY soaps from the West Coast soaps, in terms of acting. The late Benjamin Hendrickson aka Hal Munson comes to mind. Fantastic character actor whose loss severely damaged the show. I have no idea what else contributed to ATWT's demise; however, yet again, TPTB aren't leading by example. If they don't care about their shows, why should potential audiences invest their time and sentiment to them?

Oh... my... lady parts!!!! - December edition

There are certain circles on the internet who relish in using Michael Jackson as their personal sex toy. Myself, I think it's kinda creepy, not because he is gone, but because of how he would've felt about the graphic details that some women are going into online.

I am a romantic to the core. And I readily admit that I was totally in love with Michael Jackson ever since Rock With You. But my love remained pure - plus my mother didn't explain sex to me, so I had to rely on soap opera sex to fill in some holes and eventually, the Adam and Eve catalogs that practically came through my college dormitory walls. Even then, I couldn't bear using MJ in that way. Even while trolling through You Tube and finding tribute videos centering on the gold pants he rocked during the HIStory tour, I couldn't go there, although seeing him move around in those gold pants looked all kinds of right. Anyway, while looking at old clips of him in concert can be stimulating, there is something about MJ in the short film "Ghosts".

The super white T-shirt... check.

The somewhat baggy pants that accentuated his long lean legs and pert dancer's butt... check.

The spats... check.

The flowing hair... check.

The beautiful dark brown eyes... check.

And most importantly, that phenomenal mouth of his. For me, MJ had the sexiest mouth in rock and roll. Fcuk Elvis, Mick Jaggar, Stephen Tyler, and Dave Grohl. Watching MJ sing, or talk, or emote, or scream, or whatever his dear heart wanted his mouth to do. I'm telling ya... that mouth does more for me than seeing bare naked male junk.

Here's a piece of Ghosts featuring the song 2Bad. His mouth, along with his dancing, and dude was pushing 40...

Oh...

my...

lady parts!!!!

Clowning crosses the color line

By now, everyone knows that Tiger Woods is a big fat cheater. And while adultery should be a big deal, unilaterally, it seems that Tiger's infidelity has taken on global proportions, not because of the number of women he screwed around with (although the number continues to grow), but because, yet again, the majority population is disappointed whenever the anointed Negro of the moment reveals himself to be human. Mind you, the level of Tiger's proliferance when it came to banging cheap, loose-lipped skanks within a relatively brief period of time can be characterized by some as superhuman and subhuman at the same time. However, the focus of this post will not be Tiger, or gloating about how the squeaky clean image that the majority loves minorities to emulate is just in the crap heap, or whether, yet again, the press is in love with reporting and encouraging the self-indulgent meanderings about 'how disappointed' some people are with Tiger; my focus will be on Elin... you know, the wife of Tiger and the mother of his two toddler-aged children.

This will not be a poor Elin post because seriously, the last thing that celebrity pop culture needs is another wronged wife role model, which Jennifer Aniston has milked to great effect over the last five years. Elin doesn't need to be saddled with that tired, passive label. Elin doesn't need the princesses to pile on their self-perceived persecution complexes onto her situation.

Why?

Because she acted like any other woman who cranked out her husband's kids only to find out he's been fcuking other women and paying them - with gifts - during her pregnancies and before and after.

She clowned.

She clowned like a muthafcuka!

As well she should have.

As I explained in the Brandi Cibrian posts, once a wife becomes a mother, the game changes completely. She will not take her husband's infidelities in stride. Actually, only in Hollywood and in various monarchies are women expected to look the other way. Fortunately, Elin didn't get that memo and really fortunately, for Tiger, Elin is sending him a very clear message. It's ridiculous that he didn't know not to fcuk around with his wife's feelings like that, but I suspect that his lessons regarding disrespecting the mother of his childrens are not over. Clearly, he is not used to dealing with women - banging partners with breasts are more likely the type he's used to dealing with. Judging her modeling pics, Elin certainly looked the part. And most certainly, the fact that she was from Sweden, the world capital of buxom blonde bombshells, as evidenced by the totally contrived Swedish Bikini Team of the late 90s, added to the Tiger lore.

However, Tiger neglected to consider that this Swedish buxom blonde bombshell's heart beats much like every other woman on planet Earth who don't live in HW or within a monarchy. The only real difference between women of different races and economic circumstances is the length of their fuse. IMO, I think that male athletes, especially those of color, stupidly assumed that White women didn't have any fuses at all or rather that women of their own race have fuses that are too short.

Male athletes of color will continue to compartmentalize women based on race, but we women need to smarten up. As proven by Brandi Cibrian, those women who glued their cheating boyfriend's penis to his stomach, and now Elin Woods, the race of the cheated on is a variable, whereas the arrogance and ignorance of the cheater is fixed. Unfortunately, athletes have the arrogance and ignorance instilled in them by all who stand to profit from their successes. The wives, usually among their top enablers, are getting wise to the fact that no amount of money and fame can guarantee mental and emotional security. The act of clowning, however undignified, releases pent up frustrations and quite frankly, scares the $h*t out of the chronic cheater... if the woman does it right.

Swinging a golf club at a moving SUV, with hubby at the wheel, was the right way.

I hope Tiger keeps it closed!!!

Not just his zipper (allegedly), but his mouth.

Don't know if Tiger cheated. Don't know if Elin swung that club out of anger or out of necessity, in order to 'rescue' Tiger, although knocking out the back window in order to rescue someone in the driver's seat seems off. But what I do know is that the gathering press outside of Tiger's estate isn't interested in an explanation; they want an apology, or as they see it, an 'in' into Tiger's personal life.

Maybe I'm being hypersensitive, given that I spent the majority of my Thanksgiving vacation on Jetzi-MJVideo, reading MJ books about both molestation allegations (BTW, dude got hosed big time!), but in many ways, Tiger is in the same spot MJ was in '93. A lot of people are depending on him to protect his brand and there are even more waiting to profit from his downfall. So despite the likes of Ken Sunshine saying that he needs to spill more, I hope he doesn't. Seriously, why should he? This accident happened on his property. The hydrant may be munipal property, but given that he wasn't legally drunk when he damaged it, he should just get a ticket.

And talking to the cops... please. I'm sure that the Rhianna assault pics ring a bell to many - sold to TMZ by a pair of cops. Or the Sarah Jessica Parker surrogate scandal, where police chiefs crossed the line trying to dig up dirt for the tabs. Or MJ, who was dealt the full measure of the LA cops, who inevitably came up with nothing regarding molestations. They were hardly Benson and Stabler, but since the majority population are too scared to diss the cops, they continue to possess undeserved credibility.

So keep it shut, Tiger. It's been 16 years since MJ's initial dealings with the cops and the cops have gotten worse. Know your rights and exercise them to the hilt!!!