Thursday, June 15, 2006

They're Back...Run's House...



Rev. Run, His Wife Justine, And Their Kids Grace Us With Their Presence Again For Season 2....

The Good Ole Days...
I want to say that last year right off the bat (2 mintues into the show), I fell in love with MTV's Run's House. For those who don't know, Run is Russell Simmons' brother and a rapper turned minister, hence his new name, Rev. Run. And he used to be part of the RUN-DMC rap group. Remember them back in the day rocking the Adidas warm up suit, Adidas sneakers, thick gold chains, and kangol hats??? Ahh. Well those were the good ole days.

Remember Vinyl???...
Fastforward about 20 something years, and now Rev. Run has a wife; 5 kids (3 from a previous marriage); a beautiful, palatial home (a mansion); and a show on MTV. Aint life grand? And who would have known back in the late 70's and early 80's that rap would have gotten so big and fabulous. Yeah, the raps and beats have always been deep and interesting, but I remember a lot of material used to be mainly underground for only some to savor like a best kept secret. Male relatives and male friends who were/are semi-retired DJs would always say I betcha haven't heard this before. Then they'd pull out the vinyl (records). Yeah I said vinyl (this goes back a little bit). And to this day, they still say they have new music and mixtapes that's underground. Now the secret is out and kids from mainstream America have hopped onboard. I think it's sort of funny looking at rich kids trying to recite rap lyrics about thug life, when they know nothing of the kind. I guess everybody's trying to be hard. *shrug*

A Refreshing Change From The Usual...
But back to Run's House...I love, love, love this show, because it shows a black family living a normal life in good way for a change for the sake of balance, since mass media is hellbent on portraying black folks as thieves, killers, welfare queens, junkies, prostitutes, and pimps. Yeah, we had ficticious Cliff and Claire Huxtable. But the Simmons are real. They give us a sneak peak into their everyday lives revolving around family situations. Last season showed one daughter graduating from high school, the other daughter modeling professionally, and the three sons dealing with school and home situations. Plus, there were the husband/wife dynamics. Rev seemed to be the big poppa while Justine, the wife, seemed to whine a little. Joey, Why not?... But her whining must be effective, because many times he would let her have her way. I hear that this season the family will deal with the idea of Justine wanting to have another baby, while Rev isn't so hot on the idea and tells her to think about it some more. Well, this had to have been recorded a while ago, because she's expecting a baby this fall. **writing down notes** Whining works.

Tonight's the Premiere of Season 2...
Nothing is without its kinks. I've heard some folks criticize the show, because they felt like Rev. Run was too domineering or Justine was too submissive and was treated like one of the kids. But I say I big fat so what, because nobody lives the perfect life or has the perfect marriage. At least they're not cursing every other word and trying to outsicken or outshock us like the Osbourne family did. So just sit back and enjoy the show tonight for the premiere at 9:30 pm EST on MTV.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

The Original Dreamgirls...



Starring Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Loretta Devine...

The footage from the upcoming "Dreamgirls" movie sounds interesting, but I have to admit that I am "not" a big fan of remakes. I would love to see some original movies for a change. However, since I am a huge fan of YouTube, I dug up some footage from the "Dreamgirls" Broadway play from the 1980's. And all I have to say is that absolutely no one can sing like Jennifer Holliday, and no one should even try to either. Back then people used to actually open up their mouths up to sing. Some things are best left alone. Also, I've been informed by some folks that I'm not a big fan of any entertainer, although I said it a few entries back. Yeah, they were right. I guess I just said it to not be taken as a hater. Oh well. I wasn't able to recall any lyrics, haven't been to the concerts, and am unsure of the acting skills, but I do respect some folks for staying hard at work at their careers. So Bouncy fans please don't break out of lurking mode to unleash a lynch mob in here, because for the record I'll say that most of today's entertainers don't measure up to the talent of previous entertainers. There are people in this generation who possess great talent, but they aren't being extended the opportunities these days. Yeah, I said it. What?

Ahem. With that said, let's enjoy Jennifer Holliday's version of "And I'm Telling You." If you look closely you'll notice that Sheryl Lee Ralph (from "Moesha," Brandy's TV Show where Sheryl played the mother) and Loretta Devine (from the "Waiting To Exahale" movie) in the scene as members of the girl group. Enjoy... ==>

"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"...



**Note: The quality of the footage is a bit grainy. The scene begins where the cast announces to Effie that she's out of the group. Then Effie sings her famous song. And one more thing, ladies never ever beg for a man the way that Effie did. Please no. Self-esteem, ladies, self-esteem as Myra J. from the Tom Joyner Show would say.
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"I Am Changing"...



Another Fine Performance...

And here's another performance I just couldn't resist showing. I know that I said that I couldn't stand remakes, but this really isn't. This footage shows Lillias White singing "I Am Changing" which was originally performed by Jennifer Holliday.

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P.S. Saga, do I really have to complete that Meme? Can I be exempted from this one just this time? *hee hee*