Comedy in a “Post-Racial” World

I’ve always wondered how Americans’ sense of humor will change since Barack Obama has become president.  After all, so many of the jokes in comedic lexicon center around racial differences and stereotypes.

So then I saw this, and realized we havent’ really gone too far.  I find it hilarious.

 Click here for more of Reckless Tortuga’s “And Now You Know” comedic PSA skits.

Three Little Birds

“Rise Up This Morning
Smile With The Rising Sun
Three Little Birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Swinging Sweet Songs
Of Melodies Pure and True
Saying…This is my message to you”

Barack Obama is now the President-elect of the United States of America.

MTV Will Accept Political Ads

MTV changed its mind and will now accept political ads for this year’s presidential elections. For the last 17 years, MTV has not allowed political campaigns or parties to advertise on the network, opting instead to get political by encouraging viewers to get out and vote through network sponsored Choose or Lose and Rock the Vote initiatives. The network now thinks accepting ads will be good for its audience and be a compliment to the current Choose or Lose effort. MTV will allow ads from the political candidates and party committees, but draw the line at ads from third-party organizations and political-action committees.

MTV changed its mind and will now accept political ads for this year’s presidential elections. For the last 17 years, MTV has not allowed political campaigns or parties to advertise on the network, opting instead to get political by encouraging viewers to get out and vote through network sponsored Choose or Lose and Rock the Vote initiatives. The network now thinks accepting ads will be good for its audience and be a compliment to the current Choose or Lose effort. MTV will allow ads from the political candidates and party committees, but draw the line at ads from third-party organizations and political-action committees.

From Cynopsis

Fall from Grace?

Most of you all know I’m a big Barack Obama fan. I, as well as many others, wrote articles, wore tee-shirts, composed songs and donated to his campaign to get the Democratic nomination for President. Folks like you and I pushed him toward the nomination and now that the prize is within reach, our candidate has disappointed many of his ardent supporters with some of his decisions last week.

Black Men Revealed

TV One scheduled the season two debut of Black Men Revealed for July 20 at 10p with a repeat at 1a. New hosts, Doug and Ryan Stewart, real-life brothers and syndicated sports radio personalities known as The 2 Live Stews, will lead hot-button conversations amongst five African-American men as they dish on everything from fatherhood to sexuality. The series is produced by Macvision Entertainment.

As reported by Cynopsis

Can Obama Live?

This guest article is written by Tomiko Ballantyne

I have been very frustrated by my fellow black people in recent months. If I had a dollar for every time someone’s said to me, “They going to assassinate Obama,” I could probably afford a new pair of Jimmy Choos. I will not say white folks have not had these thoughts too, but this commentary is about taking my own African-descended kin to task.

Now Let’s Forget He’s Black

Last Sunday, June 8, the yearly tradition of the Puerto Rican day parade overwhelms New York City. It happens every first Sunday in June, when the mass of Nuyoricans color 5th avenue in a wash of red white and blue. For a whole day, the bougiest neighborhood in the bougiest city in the bougiest nation in the world rings with loud thumps of Reggaeton and repeated shouts of B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Boricua!

For this one day, a prideful people gather to show really how loud, passionate and in-your-face one goup of people can really be. Puerto Rican flags are painted on cars, flown from the highest of skyscrapers, and worn as every article of clothing imagineable. (who knew they made boxer underwear with the PR flag?)

It almost reminds me of the pride that Black folks felt last week when Barack Obama finally (and yes, FINALLY!) secured the Democratic nomination to be president of the United States. We were proud. We smiled, cheered, and congratulated each other. We forwarded emails and re-watched all the great speeches. We compared Obama to every Black leader imaginable. Most of all we just reminisced how none of us thought this could happen in our life time. Black folks have never been so proud.

And so subdued.

TV One debuts Lifestyle Zone

From Cynopsis

On May 25 from 7-10p, viewers will get a big sneak preview of the new Lifestyle Zone, TV One’s Saturday morning show. The show, which begins airing on May 31 at 9a, will be all about lifestyle, including celebs, fashion, travel and much more. Returning to the network’s schedule with a new host will be TV One’s 30-minute Makeover Manor, now hosted by Essence Magazine Beauty Director and Cover Editor Mikki Taylor. It debuts on May 25 at 8p with back-to-back episodes. Here’s a glimpse at the network’s special primetime preview lineup on May 25:

• 7p – Third season debut of church renovation series Divine Restoration
• 730p – Fourth season premiere of reality series Living It Up with Patti LaBelle
• 8p and 830p – Season debut of newly redone Makeover Manor
• 9p – A new 60-minute special of G. Garvin: The Road Tour
• The new Saturday morning Lifestyle Zone lineup is as follows starting May 31:
• 9a – Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin
• 930a – Divine Restoration
• 10a – Makeover Manor
• 1030a – Living It Up with Patti Labelle
• 11a – Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin: Celebrity Dish (series premiere)
• 1130a – G. Garvin: The Road Tour

Dear Senator Barack Obama:

Preface:
I’d like the opportunity to pose some of the questions/issues that are close to my soul and offer up some quotes from Senator Barack Obama in what is my favorite speech he has done to date at Howard University on September 28, 2007. I’m doing this in a sort of call-and-response that they do in many churches. I do not offer up his words as the best solution…I use his words to show at least one of our political leaders has thought seriously about the problems of America’s justice system and perhaps…just perhaps…the chains of racism will begin to break in America’s most stubborn institution.
-Megan Francis

This Week’s Black TV Rankings

African American television homes in the US represent 13,650,000 households. Here are the Live +SD rankings for the week of April 20-27, 2008 - highest rated primetime network programs in African American TV homes according to Nielsen Media Research
FOX American Idol (Wed 9p) 11.7 HH Rtg
FOX American Idol (Tue 8p) 11.6 HH Rtg
ABC Dancing with the Stars (Mon 8p) 10.4 HH Rtg
CBS CSI: Miami (Mon 10p) 10.2 HH Rtg
CBS Without a Trace (Thu 10p) 9.8 HH Rtg
NBC Law and Order (Wed 10p) 9.4 HH Rtg
NBC Law and Order: SVU (Tue 10p) 8.7 HH Rtg
ABC Grey’s Anatomy (Thu 9p) 8.5 HH Rtg
ABC Dancing with the Stars Results (Tue 9p) 8.4 HH Rtg
CBS CSI (Thu 9p) 8.2 HH Rtg
*Source: Nielsen Media Research (via Cynopsis)