t-HYPE Don't Play That!

[My boys over at Superspade posted on this. I wanted to NOT mention it but I can't resist. ]

In a desperate attempt to _________ (<--fill in the blank), for over a year now, Damon Wayans has been fighting to trademark a line of clothing called, "Nigga." Presently, the people over at the trademark office have more sense than he does and have NOT given their approval to such foolishness. For reasons too numerous to mention, I'm not particularly offended at this idea. I just think it's dumb. Homey the Clown was funny. Nigga Clothing is just stupid. Besides, some guy in SC already beat him to it.

The only reason I even bring it up is because the folks over at blackinformant.com made me laugh out loud with the following scenarios:

#1 Suzie and Marsha (two white suburban stay-at-home mothers talking in the parking lot): “Marsha, how about a bite to eat? I heard that place next to niggas is supposed to be good.”
Now enter a very pissed off black man who:
-just finished watching Rosewood, Native Son, Roots, and just happened to catch the clip of A Soldier’s Story where Sarge is beat up by two white men.
-Found out that he lost his winning lotto ticket in Katrina
just happens to park his car nearby. Guess the only one word he just heard?—LAWSUIT followed by a planned boycott from a “community leader”.

#2 A new employee who happens to be white working in a Department store, is asked by a customer who happens to be black, “Where can I find the latest urban wear?” and with that the overly anxious to please employee replies, “The Nigga line of clothing is located over there”. Bring out the SWAT team, Jessie and AL and marches on several major cities.

Dumb actions bring about dumb results. I hope Mr. Wayans gets embarrassed enough to think of a better idea. Maybe Pops will give him a buttwhoopin...

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

I just ordered Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai today! I've already seen it more than once. The only reason I didn't order it earlier is because I was scared I'd watch it everyday. How did you conquer your fear? you ask. I didn't. I just decided not to worry about it.

Right now, I'm just trying to appreciate the beautiful creation that God has given us.

I have been lax in posting this weekend! I spent Friday night and Saturday in the ATL--the Black Mecca. I'm not in love with Atlanta nearly as much as So. Cal but the city definitely boasts some of the most beautiful black people anywhere. Black people have style in Atlanta. I could go on and on but I'll stop now.

I used the trip as an excuse to see an old friend, and in many ways, behaved like the old goofballs we were in college. The actual purpose for my visit however, was to check out the Urban Mediamakers mini-workshop on screenwriting. I am a closet screenwriter. It's hard to call yourself an actual screenwriter if you do not get paid for your writing and don't even have any full length scripts completed. My writing is good, (other people have told me this), but it's not where it needs to be yet. According to said workshop, after following said steps, I should have a completed screenplay in three weeks. Um, I'll let you know how that goes...

Blackness, meet Bollywood

Will Smith has caught the vision! The former Fresh Prince is visiting India to help launch Sony’s new English-language movie channel (Pix) and, according to reports is hyped up about the Indian film industry.

The actor said he had been "blown away" by the performance of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan - also known as Big B - in the film Sarkar. "I was very impressed with his acting and have decided that from today onwards, I will be known as Big W." -Indo Asian News Service

On the industry:

"I want to educate myself as much as possible. I also want to explore the possibility of a collaboration between both the film industries." -Hindustan Times

Somebody please make sure his education includes the 411 about the Bollymafia. Will ain't never hurt nobody!
In this quote the truth came out. Ish! It's all Aish...

He also gushed that he was a fan of Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai, a former miss world. 'She has a powerful energy. She doesn't have to say anything, she doesn't have to do anything. Whatever she wants to make, I'm there.' -BBC News

I can't hate on a brotha. I got sucked in pretty much the same way...

Adrian Brody and Kunal Kapoor - Cousins

Why does Kunal Kapoor look like a hot version of Adrian Brody?

Meanwhile, Back in Bollywood...

I decided, after being challenged by a reader to do so, to find some older Bollywood films to watch. I decided on Kabhi Kabhie (1976), a love story, and Sholay (1975), an action-type flick, both of which predate my existance. Unbeknowst to me, the Sean Connery of India himself, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was in both movies. [Which, is exactly why I didn't pick two Yash Raj films. I was hoping to see some new faces...]

At any rate, I'm beginning to believe that brown skin fell out of fashion in Bollywood somewhere between the late 70's and the present. [I mean seriously, I need to watch a few more films but it looks like even the bad guys are avoiding sunshine these days. Heck, Mr. Bachchan himself looks lighter than he once did but maybe they only film during winter....]

Both films suffer from a bad case of the '70s, which simply means that the production quality (mostly sound) and fashion sense are remarkably indicative of the time period. Kabhi Kabhie was pretty decent and I really liked Sholay. I plan to post proper reviews later on but until then I must beg the question, Does Amitabh Bachchan appear better as an old man or young one? Either way, he's aging far better than Marlon Brando ever did.

I am an Uppity Negro

Note the sleeve slogan: "We don't pick cotton!"Okay, besides snowboarding, this is what I want for my birthday on March 5. (Not the guy, the t-shirt! On second thought, I'll take both if they're free.)

Side Note: When Spanking is Not Enough

Courtesy of Rupa. Posted on Sepia Munity.

February, 1989. Some Midwestern highway. Vehicle carrying boisterous kids and 2 weary parents.

Dad loses patience and makes good on his threat to pull over and administer corporal punishment.

15 minutes later. Back on the road. Sulky silence. Then the oldest child defiantly chortles, “I was wearing my snow pants!! I didn’t feel anything!! HA!”

Ha Ha Ha!!! You know those parents were TICKED off.

I love flash fiction!

The Return of Mr. T

The other night my roommate and I were talking about Mr. T's fabulous foray into rapping. While "Treat your Mother Right" is indeed a treat, attempting to watch it more than twice is like eating an entire cheesecake by yourself. You can only enjoy so much.

In order to test this theory, I am now including what I believe to be the pièce de résistance, Stylin' with Mr. T. Let me know what you think, more cheesecake or less...

Ms. Black Bollywood or: How I Learned to Stop Trippin' and Love Indian Films

I never did explain how I feel into fascination with Indian pop culture…

As a schoolchild, I harbored a hidden curiosity about my few Indian classmates. They were brown like me but judging by their straight, shiny hair, and the fact that a couple of them didn’t realize that leaving your house ashy is NEVER okay, I knew they were definitely not “black.” I remember riding with a fellow debate team member as she partially apologized for the bhangra track she was pumping. “I love this song. It’s from this Indian film,” she explained. “It’s---you wouldn’t really understand.” That moment has stayed with me forever. My Hindi ain’t that good but try me. Then there was the lament of a Taiwanese collegemate about the beauty of Indian boys and their utter inaccessibility if for no other reason than graciousness because after college their parents were going to pair them off anyway…

Moving on…My interest was rekindled after meaning to see Monsoon Wedding, seeing Bend It Like Beckham and thinking, those were pretty good but they couldn’t be the real thing because my film production professor had said that the films were very long and when he went to the theater in India there was an intermission where people ate lunch they brought from home which was often curry chicken.

All that foolishness brings me to the point. My then boyfriend came across a film on Netflix called Dil Se which appeared to be rated highly. After browsing a bit and realizing that Sharukh guy was in 1 out of every 4 films, he knew he had found a star. One remarkably explosive ending later, I was on the hunt. I was babysitting for a Filipino friend whose husband is Indian and gave her a play-by-play of Dil Se. “Really? You liked that?” she asked. “I haven’t seen that one but we have Main Hoon Na, Mohabbatein," etc., etc. Score! “My mother-in-law really likes this one,” she said as she handed me Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. That is how I was introduced to my Bollywood Boyfriend Numero Uno and how I learned to stop trippin' and love Indian films.