Monday, December 28, 2009

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Understands Black People


The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck was recently regaling her co-hosts with an oh-so-amusing story of how, while out shopping with her young daughter Grace, she was getting funny looks from the evidently cloistered white people around her, because Grace was carrying the doll representing Sorry your feelings got hurt Elisabeth, but just imagine feeling the sting of discrimination over several generations, or the curious, sometimes awkward stares and comments not because your child is carrying a black doll, but has married interacially and is raising biracial children. Now that's a notion that'll probably make your dear friends lose their overpriced lunches. But carry, on, I feel your pain, no seriously, more than you know.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Tiger Woods: Zero for Par


Tiger Woods, Cablinasian golf hero, has been outed as a philandering husband. After his recent bizarre tree-hitting accident, rampant media speculation regarding his mysterious injuries forced him to admit that, yes, he cheated on his hot Swedish wife (ok, shallow I know, but Tiger, seriously??!) with some 20-something reality girl ( No judgement or anything). Anyhoo, rumor has it that Elin Nordegren, said hot Swedish wife (And mother of Tiger's so-cute children) got handy with a golf club, and inflicted aforementioned injuries. Anyhoo, after all this hoopla, Tiger still ain't talkin' and thus far has gotten away with a fine for reckless driving. Now that we've established that the Bill Cosby of sports is as flawed as any of the rest of us, we need to get back to matters of greater importance, what's Lindsay Lohan up to these days?

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Power-Packed Punch of Precious


Immediately after viewing the critically-acclaimed film "Precious", I texted my friend summarizing my impression of the movie. This was at 10:30 at night. On a Sunday. Such was the raw acting talent of Gabby Sidibe and the frightening transformation of Mo'Nique, that I was blasted out of my little existential bubble and into a bleak world, that, as the aforementioned friend pointed out, is a fact of life for too many, especially people of color. Despite some shortcomings (negative portrayal of black motherhood; lack of some back story on Precious' abusive and emotionally warped mother), this film goes beyond others of its genre in vividly presenting how a dark-skinned black teen in 80's Harlem uses immense fortitude to cope with being raised by one abusive parent while raising the children of the other abusive parent by whom she got pregnant. I applaud Precious for not coming across as an afterschool special, and despite its shortcomings, I'm rooting for it to be recognized in awards season, for it's a very good beginning in allowing art to bring more such stories to the forefront in an equally meaningful and honest fashion.