Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z incited a lot of outrage for visiting Cuba last week. They reportedly went to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, which they did by touring historical landmarks and spreading the goodwill of American Pop and Hip-Hop music. But, given the way Republican congressmen beholden to Miami Cubans are reacting, you’d think Bey and… Read more.
I was unable to see any of the inauguration festivities live; therefore, what follows are observations based solely on news reports, video clips, and transcripts. The National Anthem Beyoncé looked a lot better than she sounded. And she sounded terrific – even if not quite as soaring and awe-inspiring as Whitney Houston at the 1991… Read more.
There’s nothing more venal about the cult of celebrity that now defines Western culture than the way celebrities conspire with tabloids to pimp out pictures of their new-born babies. And there’s nothing redeeming in celebrities declaring that the money will go to charity; because that invariably means less than 10 percent of the millions they… Read more.
A quick browse of my commentaries on previous MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) will attest to the fact that my review of this annual show is invariably as informed (and I hope as entertaining) as that of any music industry critic. But watching Kanye and Jay Z perform at this year’s show, I could not… Read more.
It should go without saying that just because a black face appears on the cover of a fashion magazine, or on the runway of a fashion show, does not mean that there’s diversity in the fashion industry. Especially since that black face is most often half-white (like Halle Berry’s) or digitally whitened (like Beyoncé’s). Yet… Read more.
No doubt you’ve seen a replay of the way rapper Kanye West bum rushed the stage during Sunday’s MTV Music Video Awards (MVAs), yanked the microphone from 19-year-old country singer Taylor Swift – who was delivering her thank-you speech after receiving the award for best female video, and shouted the following: Yo Taylor, I’m really… Read more.
