BE BETTER

Fool me once...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

May your day be filled with hope, love, joy, peace and plenty of jolly, glee and laughter!

YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR LINK TO SHOW WEBSITE
TIX GO ON SALE DEC 29, 2007
TIX SELL OUT DEC 30, 2007
GET ON YOUR GRIZZY.

ARE HBCUs STILL RELEVANT AND/OR NECESSARY?

Check out this article “Separation Anxiety” from the Nov. 30th edition of The Wall Street Journal for their take on black enrollment in black colleges. If you have an opinion on the matter PLEASE leave it in the comment section of the blog post here and do not send your reply to my E-mail, text box, or voicemail. I'd like to have a public discussion on the matter, not a private whisper.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119638557991308817.html

GVG
~we're the warriors they write epics about~

REPOST: The BIG DEBATE on THE GREAT DEBATERS

Below is a recent blog post from Dominga Martin editor of Crème magazine for The Honey Magazine website. Check it out.

Hi Friends, check out our editor's new blog on HONEY MAGAZINE! Here's an excerpt, inspired by a critic who just couldn't accept the fact that the Great Debaters is based on a true story and that the images of African Americans in this film were positive...PLEASE FORWARD and see this film!

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"I’m a member of a film critics circle for women and recently, one member of the group wrote a review for a HUGELY popular movie site that sent the group in an empowering frenzy! She started off the review with the following quote:

“Noble, brilliant suit-wearing Negros fight for equality in racist Texas circa 1935. All the white people are toothless, evil pig farmers. Denzel insults his white audience with caricatures.”

She then went on to say “I wasn’t going to review “The Great Debaters” knowing full well the ugly emails I would get if I don’t like a movie made by or about black people, I’m a racist…(blah, blah, blah)…here’s her DISCLAIMER, which follwed the foot in her mouth:"

Want more? Click here!!!
The BIG DEBATE on THE GREAT DEBATERS

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Haven't put my full thoughts on this one out just as yet, still waiting on some more info. Below is what I had posted so far.

"OK! OK! OK! <~~ That was me taking a breath before I went off. I really really REALLY want to go off on this "Critic". However, I don't want to speak on just excerpts, it doesn't make for the most informed of rebuttals and seeing as things can be misconstrued out of context. I don't really see the possibility of that here, but I’ll give her "know more about African culture from first-hand, feet on the ground experience then all of my black neighbors and friends put together" ass the benefit of the doubt. Please if you could e-mail me the full review and I would if possible like to know where it was originally published. That for me would be another very curious point.

As they say opinions are like assholes because every ones got one. I hope this foolishness of a reviews doesn’t stop anyone from going to see what I know will be one of this year’s best movies. We ask for our positive stories to be told on film and television and when they are we need to support them so more can be produced. The numbers are what translate in Hollywood, let’s give this one numbers to break the records."

GVG

The Great Debaters comes to a theater near you Christmas day 2007

UPDATE

READ THE FULL ORIGINAL REVIEW HERE

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I just read the original review in it's entirety and this is what i had to say to the reviewer.

"When I was first forwarded excerpts of your review, I refused to fully respond before reading the review in its entirety and gave you the benefit of the doubt in hopes that your statements were taken out of context. I didn’t want to take you to task for what seemed like some of the most idiotic, ignorant, ill-informed statements made in a review concerning a historical adaptation in the past 10 years. So I patiently waited for my e-mail box to be filled with a link to the full review. After taking the time to read your “critiques”, I’ve realized the person who sent me the excerpts was actually a friend who was trying their best to protect you from the world knowing how much of an idiot you were.

As I said in my original comment to the person whom sent me the excerpts, opinions are like asshole because everyone has one and I hope this reviewer’s "know more about African culture from first-hand, feet on the ground experience then all of my black neighbors and friends put together" ass doesn’t deter anyone with any sense of AMERICAN HISTORY from seeing a true story that has taken way too long to be brought to light. I read the original article that inspired this film in the American Legacy magazine and it did a great job of translating the story to film in my humble NYU Film school graduate opinion. As for your assertion that someone who was a poetic wordsmith, instrumental in bringing fare working conditions for his fellow men and women through unionizing, in-turn couldn’t possibly have the time to mold the minds of the young men and women of Wiley College as their professor and debate coach which then lead to them beating what by most to this day is thought to be the brightest minds in our country, you my dear are a lost cause and there is no need for anyone to try and bring you to the light.

P.S. and I hope with all my heart that your ass is black when you start this review out using the word Negros."

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Make sure to check out the comment left by Blank Frank in her comment section. He makes a very great point.

EVEN MY MUSLIM BROTHERS ARE GETTING JACKED FOR THEIR SWAG

Just came across an article about the outrage from the Muslim community concerning celebrities wearing the keffiyeh as Scarves for their latest fashion statement. I guess i'm not the only one pissed about these celebreties lack of originality, read my previous post concerning the matter here. Please read the Muslim piece below.

"A new Hip Hop trend is threatening to drive a wedge between the Muslim and urban communities. The Muslims are taking offense to a style of dress adopted by rappers who wear a Keffiyeh - a Muslim symbol of freedom - around their necks as a scarf. The Keffiyeh is a traditional head dress worn by Muslim freedom fighters.


The new style first made popular by Island Records president of Urban Music, Jermaine Dupri, is now being worn by everyone from Jay Z to Omarion and Chris Brown. But while celebrities think the head garment is stylish to wear around their necks, it is causing a furor within the Muslim community. The Muslims want celebs to stop desecrating their symbol - or face the consequences.

One man who asked to remain anonymous told me, “Men died fighting in a war for that. Arafat wore it. People took bullets in the back fighting for that! [Rappers] don’t know what the meaning of that is.. they’re ignorant! They go overseas and they go to Dubai then they come back and say, ‘look at the new trend I started’. It’s disrespectful!”

The Muslim man I spoke with thinks rappers need a little sensitivity training, “If I see them wearing the jalabia, I’ll make them take it off!,” he said."

LET'S SEE HOW GANGSTA YOU RAPPERS REALLY ARE WHEN YOU HAVE AN AK TO YOUR HEAD AND THE GUY HOLDING IT DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT A RAP CONTRACT. DON'T START NOTHIN, WON'T BE NOTHIN. YOU GUYS AREN'T BUILT FOR THAT KIND OF BEEF.

GVG
~taken back our swag~

UPDATE

There was an error in the original article excerpt I posted where the writer incorrectly referred to the traditional headdress of Arab men as a Jalabia instead of its proper name which is Keffiyeh. I would also like to extend an apology to my readers for not doing my own research on the matter.

Ohh yea and BTW, Jermaine Dupri has never in his life started any trend or even co-opted one in its infancy. If one person mentions Kris Kros and that damn backwords clothing sh&t I'm beating your ass. LOL