No doubt you recall Idris Elba’s sambo-like campaign to play James Bond. I didn’t think he had any professional credibility or marketability left after that.
The hypocrisy inherent in his attempt at “cultural appropriation” was as incomprehensible as it was unforgivable. Accordingly, I made no effort to disguise my contempt in commentaries like “A Black James Bond? No, Hell No!” December 26, 2014 and “White Actor Pours Scorn on ‘Black Bond’ … and Rightly So,” March 28, 2019.
But, oh, the flak I took. Yet I was not surprised when producers of the Bond franchise duly ignored his cringeworthy campaign.
Incidentally, the trolls who defend Elba invariably ascribe to him the mysterious, no-nonsense traits of characters he played on TV, most notably those of Stringer Bell in The Wire and those of John Luther in Luther. This, despite Elba continually showing that, in reality, he has the narcissistic, attention-seeking traits of divas who front on social media.
Only the latter explains him making a Truman Show of his bout with the coronavirus. I assure you, if Daniel Craig, a real “James Bond,” had contracted Covid-19, he would not have been posting daily updates on his self-centered “fight” for all the world to see. Perhaps more to the point, nor would a real mysterious, no-nonsense black star like Denzel Washington.
After all, we not only have eminent scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci providing daily Corona PSAs, but also black Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams speaking truth to black folks. And reports about people suddenly ingesting disinfectants only hint at what befalls a civilization that looks to celebrity politicians and actors for medical advice.
This is why I had Elba in mind when I wrote:
If you’ll forgive this growing pet peeve, am I the only one who wonders why celebrities aren’t sharing positive tests for HIV and other STDs in the interest of public health; you know, the way they are (over)sharing for this virus. Friggin’ narcissistic hypocrites!
(“Fighting This Coronavirus Is Setting an Untenable Precedent,” The iPINIONS Journal, March 31, 2020)
But a second wave of flak did not come until I mentioned him in “Aliens, Toilet Paper, and Cosmic Bad Timing” on April Fools’ Day. I was commenting on a cartoon that featured aliens rocketing away from Earth in a spaceship stockpiled with toilet paper.
The punch line had them gloating about absconding with earthlings’ “most valuable resource.” But I could not resist posing this question:
Why couldn’t they squeeze a few attention-seeking, I-have-coronavirus celebrities (like Idris Elba) on board to take back with them; you know, to use as guinea pigs?
Well, it now seems even Netflix has seen enough of this diva.
Idris Elba’s Netflix comedy Turn Up Charlie has been cancelled after just one series, according to reports. The sitcom, created by the actor, 47, depicted a has-been DJ trying to turn his fortunes around.
It was a passion close to the Luther actor’s heart as he has been heavily involved in music throughout his career.
(Daily Mail, April 26, 2020)
Sorry Charlie!
That’s a wrap … perhaps on Elba’s career too. But hey, as Kylie has demonstrated, the sky’s the limit for divas on reality-TV and social media.
Related commentaries:
cultural appropriation… Black Bond… Dr. Fauci… Dr. Adams…
ingesting disinfectants… fighting coronavirus… Kylie…