A lover of all forms of media, this blog will serve as my love letter to radio, television, movies, books/magazines, and everything in between. Blogging to you live from your Nations Capital, this blog will cover all that and any randomness I wish to share. Won't you join me on this ride?
The other day I made a very important revelation: I miss TV theme songs.
Now before you start laughing and thinking, "The Media Elitist has lost it" please hear me out! Part of the fun of the television watching experience is the opening sequence and theme song. Think about it: It's 8PM and your favorite show is about to come on. You've waited all week to see what was going to happen to your favorite character. You see the first glimpses of the opening credits and your excitements grows. Then the opening notes of the theme song kick in and, if you're anything like me, you start singing along.
West Philadelphia, born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days...
It's a rare condition,this day and age to read any good news on the newspaper page...
We are living...single...and in a 90's kinda world I'm glad I got my girls.
Keepin' your head above water...makin' a way when you can...
Shakin' up the family tree with sibling synchronicity....
Here's our chance to make it...and if we focus on our goal..you can dish it we can take it, just remember that you've been told--it's a different world...
And just like that, the tone was set. You were officially ready to enjoy your show. Whether the theme song was light and fun, or serious and meaningful, they all lent something extra to your favorite TV show.
Dearest Readers, what are some of your all-time favorite TV theme songs?? You ready to start a 'bring back TV theme songs" movement with me? Or do you just think I'm reminiscing too much? Whatever the thought, let a sista know!
Some of My Personal Favorites...
Extra credit to anyone who can A)Identify all the shows in the lyrics I quoted above AND B)Knows the words to the extended version of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. No Googling! ;-)
I have a confession for you all: I was super excited about this Grammy Awards. It's the first one to air since I started this blog and I was going to watch, tweet, and blog about "Musics big night!" Sadly, that night was far from big. It was minuscule and extremely underwhelming. I spent the majority of the evening wondering: Why are the Grammy Awards so boring?!??
Despite my limited attention span, I managed to watch the entire show. Here are some other life changing(read: trivial) questions that came to mind:
Was I the only one who found the Aretha Franklin tribute underwhelming? Vocally, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride, and Florence Welch sounded great but it missed a certain...umph!
Why was Lady Gaga's performance so dull?!? The song, outfit, and dancing were all extra bland.
Will Janelle Monae ever wear an outfit that has color in it?
Is Justin Bieber the reason why Usher insists on singing and dancing like a teen?
At what point will Jada & Will tell Jaden that rapping just might not be his strong suit?
Why do they invite rappers if they're going to bleep out half of what they say?
Why was Cee-Lo dressed like Big Bird's cousin? And why did it work sooo well in an over-the-top way?
Can Rihanna stop yodeling at every. freakin'. awards. show? In fact, she should limit the singing altogether and just dance.
Did Eminem sign a contract stating he must look pissed off 24/7?
Do the music Powers That Be think we believe Drake has chemistry with Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, or any random chick they put him on a track with? News flash: We don't.
I hope next year the Grammy Award organizers find some way to make the show more entertaining. After all, three hours is a LOT to fill. My ideas? 1)A host might help break up the monotony of performances and award distribution. 2)Mix up the types of performances. Two consecutive slow songs brings down the flow. 3)Is it possible to cut down on the length? Let's be real, they only give away a few awards on camera anyway. The rest is just filler. Trim the fat please!
Dearest readers, did you watch the 2011 Grammy Awards? What were your thoughts? Favorite/least favorite moments? Let a sista know!
Wednesday morning I was enjoying my day off by lounging around and watching the Wendy Williams Show (How YOU doin'!?). During the Hot Topics segment, she discussed the new unisex fragrance from Khloe Kardashian and her husband Lamar Odom. I already knew they were jumping on the perfume bandwagon and thought that was crazy enough. I should have known that when the Kardashian's are involved, there is always room for more crazy.
Check out the commercial for Khloe and Lamar's Unbreakable:
*Deep sigh* Must they be so extra?!? All of the time?!! This ad doesn't make me want to buy anything from these two. I do, however, have questions.
Why the gratuitous shots of their wedding rings? Do they think they have to remind us of their loooove?
Why are they naked? And why do I feel like this could have been filmed at their home...in their bedroom? O_O
Why is she wrapped around him like a human bodysuit? Is this her idea of being a classy spokeswoman?
Could the dialogue be any more nondescript? What are they even talking about?? (I think my ears shut down once my eyes got assaulted by the visuals)
Readers, talk to me. Am I bugging out? Have I somehow missed the artistic merit behind this commercial? Let a sista know!
Oh, and here is one more Kardashian gem(Just in case you somehow missed it LoL) ;-)
For many, the Superbowl is about the final match up between the two best teams in the NFL. I am not one of those people. For me, it's all about the commercials. After all, the commercial are a major part of the game. Advertisers spend exorbitant amounts of money on their spots and they're hoping that their ad will be unique enough to capture shopping dollars from viewers. With all of that on the line, it's a battle to see the biggest, funniest, flashiest, and most outrageous commercials.
Sunday night's Superbowl was no different--the commercials were full of gimmicks and celebrity endorsements. One commercial, however, has generated a lot talk that I'm sure the ad executives didn't anticipate. If you somehow miss the cries of outrage from African American women everywhere, here is the ad in question:
I won't lie to you all, I didn't see anything wrong with this Pepsi ad the first time I watched it. The beginning sort of confused me but when the couple ran after hitting the white woman with the can? I laughed. I watched it again Monday morning and still didn't feel much. I wasn't outraged and I didn't feel like suddenly running out for a Pepsi. I just chalked it up to a Three Stooges style of comedy and moved on.
Apparently my first reaction fell into the minority. I soon realized that many people were offended. Offended? But why? I asked myself (and a friend I knew wouldn't judge me) these questions and soon learned the answer. Angry black woman stereotypes + physical abuse + white woman lust=indignation and frustration. So I thought about it and watched the commercial again. I recognized all the elements. Far too often, African American women are portrayed as sassy and snappy in the media. Must we get hit with this notion over and over and over again?!? Is there any doubt that the commercial would have been equally effective if the woman gave her man a "no you don't" look and replaced his junk food with a healthier option? Couldn't a mischievous look from her, play off of a bewildered one from him and still lead to comedy gold? Wouldn't a different twist be the man catching his woman drinking something unhealthy and mimic her behavior by switching it with a Pepsi Max? If the scowls, kicks, and googly eyes at another woman were gone completely, would the commercial simply fall apart? We may never know.
I have another confession--while I see and understand the issues, I am still not outraged. I feel sort of bad that I'm not bonding with sisters over this issue but it hasn't really hit me in that same way. However, I completely agree that the media desperately needs to diversify the way African American are depicted. We're constantly shoved into a box that will never bring to light all that we are. It may be easy to brush it off by saying, It's just a commercial or It's TV-It's meant to entertain but for those with no real insight to who we are, it becomes an assumed reality. And that's something I just can't brush off with ease.
This was the (relatively) easy part: identifying and discussing the problem. Now for the tough part: finding solutions. How can we start to see changes in the way we are depicted? My theory? We need to start grooming our young people to not only work in media, but also to seek out higher level positions(I know, I know--I have such big dreams). Perhaps large scale letter writing campaigns to major ad companies would become a persistent enough voice to get heard (in time).I also hope that students studying media in school(whether it's PR/Advertising, radio production, or television/film) are learning that techniques that can lead to success in their field and ways to execute them without compromising our public perception. These ideas may not be feasible right now, but the reality is that we need to find some way to inspire change unless we want to have these same discussions 50 years from now.
So Dear Readers, it's time to get your feedback: What are your thoughts on this Pepsi commercial? Has your opinion changed in any manner? Do you have any idea on how we can diversity our public image?
My name is The Media Elitist and I am addicted to watching clips of Committed(from NBC's The Sing Off) perform. *Crowd says, “Hi Media Elitist!”* Are you confused yet? Have no idea what I'm talking about? Okay, let me back up a bit. On NBC's series The Sing Off, a capella groups compete against one another for a cash prize and recording contract. The groups come from all around the world and have diverse musical styles. An undeniable talent is the tie that binds all competitors.
On the December 6th Season 2 premiere of The Sing Off, viewers were introduced to the 10 teams competing for their chance in the spotlight. Among them included a high school team, a jazzy group of teachers,and a legendary musical group from Yale University. For me, the breakout team was a group called Committed from Huntsville, Alabama. At first glance, they didn't seem super interesting—a 6 member group that got their start in church singing gospel music and selected their name because they're committed to God and one another. Um, yawn. With an introduction like that, I wasn't confident that these guys would be particularly entertaining. Then they stepped on stage to sing Maroon 5's This Love and all doubt was erased from my mind.
Now, I don't know much about music so I won't use a lot of technical terms. To put things simply and honestly, the men of Committed can sang! No, not sing. Sing isn't powerful enough to describe the magic this group can create with their voices. During their debut performance, Committed dazzled the audience with a vibrant show of vocal genius. Throughout the show they've proven that together, they blend and harmonize so smoothly that you're left in awe. As solo performers, each member can truly hold their own and has their specific contributions to the overall sound. Seeing how they shared the soloist responsibility from week to week was always a treat. It is important to note that being an a capella group doesn't just mean that they sing without music. It also means that they create their own instruments using their voices. Seeing them recreate string instruments for Apologize one week and then switch styles and duplicate the synthesized instruments that drives Usher's music conveys how challenging it is to sing and maintain the instrumentation.
I love Committed because I think they are immensely talented. They've proven that they can go from soulful R&B to boy band pop with ease. Committed maintains their unique style through each performance and I think it's important that they continue that trend. It was their faith in God and dedication to one another that got them on the show in the first place. Hopefully, it will also take them to the very end of the competition. The finale of The Sing Off airs tonight at 8/7c on NBC. I know I'll be glued to my sofa watching every moment—won't you join me?
Talk to me readers: Have you ever watched The Sing Off? If so, what do you think of the competition? If not, what music oriented reality shows do you enjoy? Never heard of Committed? Check them out:
