DarkStar Spouts Off

Water On Mars!!!!!

George Carlin

From a past post on comedy:

• George Carlin -- Irreverent or topical or "angry" it doesn't matter. The man is just funny. The 2 of his top routines that come to mind are "Stuff"
  

  and "The 7 Dirty Words". OK, it's full of "dirty words" but it's funny.
  

I'm THERE!

Jackie Chan.
Jet Lee.
Same movie?

Yes. I'm there.

The Wire Finale

See below the fold for spoilers.

Brain Spew Sunday: Comedy

I was talking with my daughter yesterday, and she mentioned someone who had no sense of humor. She then said "even I" have a sense of humor, it's just hard to categorize. She said it's "different" and then she said it's "dry." When I told Mrs. D.S., she laughed and said her mother taught her how to be polite.
So, I know that was a slam, but that leads me to this post.

Best comedy routine, EVER: "Who's On First" by Abbott and Costello.

Best comedy movie, EVER: "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World". Spencer Tracy was the perfect straight man for everyone else in this movie: Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Jim Backus, etc. Straight up hil-ar-ri-us!

Dr. Burke Is Gone!

Will Isiah Washington get the same support that Don Imus received?

The Sopranos

What. A. Waste.

The next to last show raised hopes, but then the last show was whack!

Reality Scam: Flip This House

Wow.
Just. WOW.

One Saturday, I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready for the family when "Flip This House" came on. Mrs. D.S. was previously watching a home improvement show. After about 20 minutes, I was HOOKED! It was a show that featured a brother, his wife, and his employees and contractors going through the process of flipping a house. At the end of the 1 hour show, I was impressed. My wife said she was impressed as well but wondered about the focus on the bottom line. She even said she wouldn't buy a home from someone like that, while I said I wouldn't mind. Additionally, the amount of money made on the flip was impressive.

This morning, after I made a run to the hardware store, I came in the house and my wife just hugged me and said, "Come up stairs, I have something to show you."

I thought she was going to show me a blue stick!

Instead, she showed me this link:

ATLANTA (FOX 5) -- What if you found out an American Idol contestant was lip-synching? What if the Bachelor was really married? How real is reality TV? The FOX 5 I-Team answers that question with one of America's favorite reality shows: Flip This House. Senior I-Team reporter Dale Russell found one Atlanta developer on the show, Sam Leccima, wasn't telling the truth about his renovations.

Now, I am heart broken!

Sam was ON THE BALL! Instead, it was a scam and he not only involved and scammed people who thought they were friends, he seemed to focus on Black people. Here is part two of the investigation. Dude never made a profit! Dude even lost his license BEFORE the "Flip This House" shows!

Check out Dale Russell's blog about this.

I also started a show called "The Real Deal". The person who stars in this flipping show was also on "Flip This House". Check out the flipthislawsuit blog. It's not associated with "The Real Deal" but it's an interesting read.

After watching a few shows, one with Armando Montelongo, I was impressed with the series, BUT I told my wife that if Montelongo ever did anything in my area, I wouldn't buy from him because he really seemed to be focused more on money vs. doing a good job.

Man, I'm really crushed.

I Don't Got A Belly Button

Radio One Sells Stations

P6 reminds me to post about Radio One selling radio stations.

Radio One yesterday announced the sale of 10 stations in two mid-size markets to a D.C. equity firm, part of an effort to divest properties that don't fit the company's mission of dominating the urban radio market.

Arlington Capital Partners will pay $76 million for five radio stations in Dayton, Ohio, and five in Louisville, Ky. The stations will be run by Main Line Broadcasting, a Philadelphia company within Arlington's portfolio that operates nine radio stations in Richmond, Hagerstown and Waynesboro and Chambersburg, Pa.

The same accounting scheme that have caused bigger companies to recalculate costs of stock options, has hit Radio One. Add to that the industry-wide fall in advertising revenue and Radio One is in serious trouble.

I remember when WKYS was sold. For about 2 months before the transfer was completed, "all of the sudden," the programming of the station drastically improved. On the last show under the old owners, the D.J.s gave their thanks to listeners for listening over the years. One noted that she had received comments about the improvement in the radio programming. She said the old owners decided to let the D.J.s program their own shows!

Maybe Radio One should try this novel concept in some markets.

Disgusted

R. Kelly opens his alleged child molester mouth:

R. Kelly compares himself to Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley --
and even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- in a magazine interview that
hits the street just in time for the release of his new album this
month.

Kelly, the Chicago native who rose from street singer to star before
facing criminal charges of having sex with an underage girl, made the
comments in the spring/summer issue of Hip-Hop Soul magazine.

The magazine had not reached newsstands Wednesday, but the Sun-Times
received an advance copy.

The most eyebrow-raising quote: "I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin
Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today. I'm the Martin Luther
King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of
people are starting to realize that now."

I am disgusted.

Five years ago, I remember people asking, "Ed! Did you see That TAPE!!!!?!?!????" When I said no and asked was it him, everyone said yes.

The Chocolate Factory CD came out and people brought it. I didn't, I didn't even burn it even though it was good. The Ron Isley CD that the alleged child molester did, was good, but I didn't buy it. The Charlie Wilson CD that the alleged child molester did, was good, but I didn't buy it.

I refuse to give him money so that he can continue to use his fame to go after under aged girls; allegedly.

And people who support him make me sick.

Rap Offended

I am offended by much of what goes as rap on commercial radio. I don't like it and it has driven me from listening to commercial radio after the morning drive time period. I am offended that some people are saying that rap IS Black culture when rap is a sub-culture of entertainment and a sub-culture of America.

Some have said the term "gangsta" comes from the Black community. As I wrote earlier, the term is nothing but slang for gangster, which came about from the gangs that arose during alcohol prohibition.

Some have said that "hip-hop" promotes anti-intellectualism, but I don't know the songs that support that assertion. Better yet, no songs have been provided that support that assertion. This weekend, Mother's Day weekend, many HBCUs hold graduation ceremonies. One can assume that most of the graduates listen to rap. So, why are they immune from the alleged anti-intellectualism in rap?

Rap does glamorize drug use, but when you look at the drug use statistics, except for marijuana use, Blacks use drugs in smaller proportions than whites use drugs. Meth use is rising fast, but unless I'm mistaken, rap isn't glamorizing the use of meth.

Much of commercial rap is offensive, but blaming the many ills in the Black on rap is a lame excuse. I just wish people will come out and say that they think Black people are sheep. That would get it out into the open and properly dealt with; or not.

I guess I should write that this is not a defense of rap. I don't care for the language, I don't care for the images and I don't care for the "bling bling." They are the present day minstrel show.

Spiderman 3

I was PUMPED to see Spiderman 3. After viewing the movie, however, I was left sorely lacking.

I understand there has to be tension between Peter, Spiderman, and M.J. I understand that Peter has to allow Spiderman to take priority over M.J. and any sane woman would start to have problems with this priority.

It was cool to have Peter get a bit of a big head because everyone loves Spiderman and I can see part of that becoming a storyline. But if they had left most of the love interest crap, they still could have
made the story line of revenge and ego be credible.

It was just too much love stuff. When there was action, it was good, fast moving, action. When it was a love story, it was, well...

A bad love story.

The Sopranos: Wimping of Men

So far, I have to say that "The Sopranos" is example A for the media wimpification of men in the media.

What is with Tony still in therapy? Other family bosses afraid to step up and take over because "they are too old"? Refusing to whack a drugged out captain? Letting your wife dictate to you how you do your business? A long time man in the family never whacking someone?

Now What Happens?

Don Imus is gone. Now what happens?

Do WE pick up the ball WE dropped and put more power behind the efforts started at Essence Magazine and Spellman to clean up rap lyrics?

Do We pick up the ball WE dropped, or never picked up, to protest and act against radio stations, including those owned by Radio One, for playing the filth?

What happens now?

Rap Attack

There are so many comments about "Black Leaders" and other Blacks not speaking out against rap, that I made a public Google Notebook called Rap Attack to address that false belief.

Updates to the notebook are coming.

Tuesday Tidbits

Some stuff to put out there:

• Television One: I saw the Sopranos season premier. Color me less than impressed.

The last season of "The Sopranos" kicked off on HBO Sunday night with 7.66 million total viewers, a solid audience, but well below the Nielsens for the first episode of its previous season: a total of 9.47 million viewers on March 12, 2006.

• Television Two: Mrs. D.S. and I saw about 3 minutes of the one "reality" show that I watch, Run's House. That was all we could take. But, I love the show.
• Protest: When BYU students protest against a conservative, something is in the wind. Of course, "some students" could mean 2 or 3 students.

PROVO, Utah -- Some students and faculty on one of the nation's most conservative campuses want Brigham Young University to withdraw an invitation for Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at commencement this month.

Critics at the school question whether Cheney sets a good example for graduates, citing his promotion of faulty intelligence before the Iraq war and his role in the CIA leak scandal.

• This is some BULLLLLL..... You see, when a Republican, Gov. Ehrlich, proposed the state take over SOME schools in Baltimore City because those schools had been "under preforming" for at least ten years, Democrats from Baltimore (Black every last one of them) and other Democrats across the state, moved to block the state take over of SOME schools for one year. But now that there is a Democratic governor, Gov. O'Malley, NOW the bastards are talking take over! Now they want the school system to go back to being controlled by Baltimore?

A state takeover and a freeze on city funds were among the sanctions proposed yesterday as elected officials at City Hall and the State House reacted to the disclosure that the Baltimore school system's $1.2 billion budget is riddled with errors.

On the final day of the General Assembly session, lawmakers summoned school officials to Annapolis to question them about a Sun article reporting tens of millions of dollars in discrepancies in the budget the school board approved March 27.

• How many people know the definition of a "strong password"?

Miller recommends that TurboTax customers with common last names choose strong passwords to prevent this sort of problem in the future.

For those of you who don't know what a "strong password" is, here is one definition.

Chuck Brown

Chuck Brown has a new joint out.

It cranks!

More later.

Who Got Slammed?

This is what Chris Rock had to say recently:

LIFE: In the first movie you directed, Head of State, you were president of the United States. Is this country ready for an African American president?
ROCK: It's ready for a retarded president,  why wouldn't it be ready for an African American president?

My question is, who got slammed?
Did he call the president retarded?
Did he say the U.S. would be willing to vote for a retarded president?
Did he say the U.S. is ready for a retarded president so it would be ready for a Black president because the Black president would be equivalent to being retarded?

The Good And The Bad

Good television: HBO's Life Support. This is powerful television. By the end, you WILL be moved and you WILL be impressed by Dana Owens' acting.

Bad television: TV-One's Black Men Revealed. I think I expected too much. But after watching every episode so far, I can say I am very underwhelmed.

Good television: CBS's, The Unit.

Captain America Is Dead

Captain America is dead. He was killed by a sniper and his ex-girlfriend.

The death of a comic book superhero created during the Second World War has prompted an intense debate in the US over the decline in traditional American values.

Marvel Comics' decision to have a New York sniper polish off ultra-patriotic Captain America in the latest issue of his comic has not only horrified his fans but provoked questions about the continued relevance of his commitment to "truth, justice and the American way".

At a time of growing scepticism among Americans about the morality of their country's foreign policy, the decision to kill off the nation's comic book embodiment has been widely interpreted as being heavily laden with political symbolism.

Given the history of Captain America, the sniper must be an Islamo-fascist and the ex-girlfriend must be Saadam!

:-D

The Half Time Show

The Super Bowl half time show was GOOD.

Prince ripped it. He played a song I had never heard and, again, I was impressed. He and the band played live and I wondered if he would get electrocuted.

One other thing: I know one of my sister-in-laws and her friends are giddy beyond belief. The FAMU band was playing with Prince.

24

HOT!!!!

FIRE!!!!!!!!

JACK.
IS.
BACK!!!!!!

Rap Is The Problem?

Gregory Kane says rap is the problem:

We'll call this particular 800-pound gorilla Joey, in tribute to that 1940s film about the giant ape called Mighty Joe Young. I think it's time Joey got his props. I think it's time we acknowledge Joey.

Joey, meet the guys.

Guys, shake hands with Joey.

"The guys" in this case are those Baltimoreans who, for the past week, have expressed angst and dismay about the appalling way some young black men in this city, addicted to the thug life, dispatch each other with such chilling ease. Of Baltimore's nearly 300 homicide victims each year, the overwhelming majority of victims and killers are young black men.

Everybody and everything has been mentioned as enablers to Bodymore, Murderland's culture of death: lack of jobs, lack of recreational facilities, lack of music and art programs in schools, lack of mentors. Everybody's been mentioned, that is, except Joey, who's standing in the middle of the room with a Bloods bandana on his head, a Crips scarf tied around his neck, "grillz" on his teeth and holding a Glock in his hand.

Oh, and Joey's holding a copy of The Source magazine in the other hand with a picture of rapper The Game on the cover. Get where I'm going here?

I get what Kane is saying, but something isn't adding up.

There is Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, a high school, which is mostly Black, which has students that listen to rap music. The same for City College, a high school, and Western High School.

The same can be said for Morgan State University, Coppin State University, Bowie State University, and University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. These four universities are HBCUs, which are full of Black students. My assumption is most of these Black students listen to rap.

Get where I'm going here?

Doo Wop Christmas Song

You MUST view this classic!