Cosby Show

*whispering* After discovering that I can access my blog from work I decided to go ahead and make a post. I'm finally alone in the office--wondering where everybody else is and if a meeting is going on that I happen to be unaware of. But the real question is do I care? So the iaintgonnabeherenextyearanyway attitude has kicked in.

Oh yeah, I forgot this blog is only for television show stuff. I almost got personal for a minute.

So, bored with my usual television shows (I knew I had issues when I added the Pussycat Doll tv show to my DVR lineup), I've returned to The Cosby Show. I will admit that this was one of my favorite shows, tied closely with Good Times, but I'd given up watching it for sometime. The other night I recorded the episode where Vanessa goes out of town with her girlfriends without permission and all sorts of things go wrong. Eventually she has to go back home and gets busted by Cliff and Claire. I love seeing Claire get in folks ass. I don't know why I get such a kick out of that. I loved witnessing her yell right in Vanessa's face "FOR ALL WE KNOW YOU'RE LYING RIGHT NOW LITTLE GIRL SO YOU BETTER GET UPSTAIRS AND GO TO BED!" (ok that wasn't the exact quote) I also loved the time when Claire went off on Elvin, my least favorite character. Cosby Show memories...

Cold Case

My boyfriend suggested that I start a new blog concerning my experiences as a new graduate student. Since it's only March and I don't start school until August, I figure I have plenty more time to rant about television. I'll do better about posting. I will. I will. And yes, it does get discouraging when nobody comments...as if to say nobody cares...but I need to talk to somebody about these shows and get some writing practice in too. So what if I'm not talking about wack ass American Idol, 24, or Grey's Anatomy. Just not feeling the hype.

Anyway, so I was watching Cold Case, but before we get to that may I say that most of my favorite shows have fallen off? I'm definitely not trying to get on here and act like I'm all intellectual and deep now, but my fiction books are more interesting than most of these tv shows. You know what I think it is though? That damn DVR. It's ruining my television watching habits. I watch everything in fast forward now. Commercial break my ass. Fast forward. Too much dialogue? Fast forward. Just wanna see who wins? Fast foward.

Also, might I add how quickly we've returned to re-runs? I remember when television shows had a real full season with 20+ episodes. Now these mugs do 8 episodes and release a DVD for you to buy. It's a shame when one of my favorite television shows is a reality series involving two white girls living in Beverly Hills. I mean really. Does that say something about me or about the shows being currently produced by the major networks?

Back to Cold Case. What's funny is as much as I watch that show I don't know any of the characters names. Like, who really cares about their names or their personal lives--do the flashbacks, solve the murder, and send somebody to jail! I don't care about your ex-boyfriend returning while you're trying to solve the case. Tell that dude to holla at you during my commercial breaks so we can catch some folks in a few lies, piece together the murder, and let somebody rest in peace. But if I did care about the main characters, I would suggest that the white lady get her hair styled. I mean really does it always have to look like she does it herself?

In just a few short lines I will wrap up the last three episodes of Cold Case, which is an excellent show might I add. I used to be a big CSI and Without a Trace fan (only for the first season), but CSI started getting too fake for me. I just don't believe that 5 people are smart enough to know all this irrelevant information and magically solve a crime. At least with Cold Case their solving the crime is based on them harrassing somebody until they give them all the information they need. That's more realistic than one person knowing the entire history of Egypt and how it relates to little Sara Jane's dead body on the freeway. Come on man.

Three episodes back and the Cold Case episode opens with a black family at Thanksgiving dinner. I will admit that I enjoy trying to figure out which character will be the one with the white chalk outline, but this particular episode was a little different. I believe the family featured 5 boys and a mother. By the end of the mother's prayer we saw 3 or 4 of her boys bodies sprawled out on the cement...dead. Although the episode would have normally interested me because it featured black characters, I actually found it to be a little dull. Why did the momma have to be a crackhead? Did we even have to involve drugs in this episode? I truly can understand how dealing with your boys deaths might drive you over the top, but really...couldn't they have been more creative? This was one of those episodes that I watched while I walked in and out of the room doing other things (including talking on the phone). I don't really remember who did what or why, but I do remember the crackhead momma standing outside a rehab center at the end. (sucking my teeth)

The next episode is one that I told to my boyfriend as a bedtime story. I've been talking about grad school probably more than his nerves can handle and he begged me to talk about something else. So I discussed how this particular Cold Case episode took place in the 1960s and a girl had become pregnant. Her parents rushed her off to a home for pregnant girls, ensuring that she wouldn't embarrass them. While in the home, the girl discovers a couple of things. One, the dude that she'd been dating for two months was a liar who had no plans on marrying her or saving the future of her reputation. She busted dude out with another girl too forcing a weak confrontation. Discovery two--the people at the home were putting some of the babies the girls bore up for legal adoption (as expected), but a few of the other babies were sold on the black market. Knowing that her baby could possibly be sold disturbed the girl and she begged for more time alone with her newborn (long story short). Another girl who recently gave birth who's child had already been sold off witnesses this allowance and loses it. She chases the girl and her newborn out to the forest, has a mental breakdown and knocks the girl upside the head with a rock. At 50 something years old, homegirl goes to jail after they show her a photo of what the adopted son she could never find looks like. The end.

The most recent episode featured a little white boy who secretly wanted to become a dancer in the 1980s. A black man and girl helped him with his skills. His jealous brother who happens to be a wrestler finds out about his secret interest, tells him to cut it out, and when his brother continues to defy him...like a previous episode, he goes upside his head. After killing him, he dumps his body in a trash heap and keeps it moving making everyone believe that the boy ran away from home. Big brother goes to jail in his late 30s as the father looks on in disappointment. Fin.

I like Cold Case.

And another thing...

I would post everyday, but my job has blocked all blog websites. Doesn't that suck??!!

American Gangster

I went to You Tube to see if i could find a few of BET's American Gangster clips, but had no luck. Have any of you watched that show? You have to admit, some episodes are more interesting than others. My favorites--as far as being psychologically/emotionally disturbed after watching them were Tookie Williams and the Chambers Brothers.

My issue with the show is that they don't begin where the so-calleld gangsters lives began. We have to hear the final bit to their story and then backtrack. This is a poor hook. If it wasn't for DVR I wouldn't have the option of fast forwarding through that mess. I want to know their backgrounds first then hear what lead to their demise. This demise is usually caused by one of two things, greed or needing one last run before you get out of the game.

One thing that bothers me about the show is that it's just disturbing to know that most of these brothers were real leaders and entrepreneurs. Given a different upbringing, mentors, a non-racist society, or even just plain ol' the right guidance, they would have all been in different situations and possibly unheard of. Most times the government/FBI/police had no clue what was going on with these individuals, how much money they'd acquired, or what they were in to. What's really a shame is that all the people featured are doing life (or something close) in prison--except of course Tookie.

My boyfriend, being the historical/fact driven commentator he is, and I had a discussion about the Chambers brother episode this morning. He went on to reveal the large percentage of African-Americans who are living in poverty and such today. It just really makes me question what my mother did or what happened to me to help me make it to a better situation. I mean, my mother was always working, I was always home alone (even at night), and there was nobody there to check my homework or to help me. Why was I able to go on to college, escape pregnancy/drug use/etc/etc?

Then I think about how the African-American students at my own school are often ignored. When they are acknowledged its typically to note that they are a discipline problem or failing. In my opinion, our new day begins with the education system, but there are so many things wrong with it. Do you want your black child being taught by a white woman who knows nothing about his background or culture and who can't figure out how to blend those two things into their own class lessons? Our black students are the pearl of that school and the administrators and teachers refuse to believe it.

The problems in America begin with the education system. We can teach children so many things in our classrooms, but since it won't happen, African-Americans will continue to be the main features of shows like American Gangster, The First 48, Cops, etc. Did you now that 60% of the prison population is comprised of people with mental disabilities and emotional disturbances? What are we doing about that? Not a damn thing. And what's really a shame is when I teach kids who are 18 years old who can't read any better than a first grader. What do we expect him to go out into the world and do? Rob, steal, and kill! What else?

Again, my rant is done. I wasn't trying to get deep or intellectual at all. Just wanted to express a few thoughts that I've been considering. Before I committ my crimes, I'm going to do some serious research. Once I make/get the money, I'm taking it to South Africa where I'll live out the rest of my life teaching at Oprah's school--even though I'm hating on Oprah for not opening one in the U.S.. Forget that mess she was talking about kids here not wanting to learn. That's messed up Oprah.

Black Folks...

My boyfriend (that is not his photo to the left might I add) turned to me quite a few days ago and asked me when was the last time I updated this blog. I know he's the only one who comes here and makes comments, trying to act like he's a stranger.

Anyway, on to Top Chef. Now, while I didn't necessarily care for Cliff, I didn't think he was a bad chef. My issue is, why did ol' boy have to get crazy and break out those wrestling moves on Marcell. We know that kind of white boy. Talks shit (in a corny way of course) and pretends he's not scared of anything, but then suddenly when a potential ass whoppin' arises he's backed into a corner shaking. The show is down to five chefs, and two of them decided to shave off all their hair. Cliff decides that Marcell needs a haircut too and rushes over to hold him down. Unfortunately for Cliff, nobody comes running with the clippers. This idiot...instead of letting the poor boy go, goes WWF on him and starts pressing him down to the ground and holding his arms behind his back. Cliff is kinda buff, might I add. When he finally does release him, I don't know why but it looked kind of...well, let's say "homo erotic." That's a nice way of putting it if you know what I mean.

Needless to say, Cliff got kicked off for putting his hands on another cast member (the photo demonstrates his dumb ass expression when they told him they were giving him the boot), which I thought was unecessary, especially since Marcell wasn't upset about it any more. I'm thinking they just like to keep the black cast members on these reality shows long enough to keep the black people watching. And I'm hating because after they dismissed him they started acting like the food he'd prepared wasn't all that. How did he make it to the final 5 if he was making bullshit the entire time? Let's be serious.

To top off a bullshit ass episode, they decided that the 4 chefs that were left would all get to go to the final show in Hawaii. And now since there are no more African-American characters left, I'm cheering on the only female left. Gotta represent one way or another, whether it be women or black folks...although it's nice to have both categories in one.