About On The Dig
In-your-face observations of art, entertainment and the world at large from someone who cares. Can you handle the truth?
2009All APRIL POSTS (23)
Disney's First Black Princess and Near-White Suitor
Truth is, Disney has to appeal to everyone. Now unless it's a Tyler Perry event, black-on-traditionally black romance doesn't break records at the box office.
A Plane, A Photo Shoot, A Furious Obama
A photo shoot of a Boeing 747 near the site of 9/11? It doesn't get any more heartless than that. Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, you know, the man behind the stupidity, should be removed from his position.
Gold Teeth and Other Stereotypes
A 152-foot mural goes up at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis and city residents go crazy. Why? It's a 152-foot mural of an 80 year-old black woman sporting a gold tooth.
The Swine Flu Scare
A high school in Queens, New York is under investigation for the possible strain. Eight students from that school have tested positive for Swine Flu and one hundred others may be infected. Those one hundred "others" left school without being diagnosed.
Climate Change and its Impact
In truth, although it saddens me that the climate is affecting so many, I simply don't have it in me to blog about anything but good news. So, I'll just send a positive thought to the families of the Indian farmers and the residents of the flooded village. Be safe, folks, and grateful.
White Directors, Black Success
Bartlett Sher, the white director for Joe Turner, admits he learned a lot from his black cast about the protocol of working with black story and people. He also believes if he's directing black plays, well, black directors should have a go at Ibsen, Shakespeare and all else. The bigger issue with Barlett Sher is that August Wilson only wanted black directors to interpret and stage his work. Wilson believed black artists had the experience and understanding. He also wanted them to have opportunity.
Earth Day Dos and Don'ts
I plan to spend the day eating free range and chemical-free foods [my usual mantra]. I will not sit in a restaurant filled to the rafters by meat-eating black folks who can care less whether a chicken spent his life in a cage waiting for some farmer to wring its neck.
Why Blacks Don't Believe in the Extraterrestrial
A former NASA astronaut believes in the extraterrestrial. But what's up with all the alien-hating from the black community? A very articulate and resourceful brother w/ locks told me once that black folks don't have time for extraterrestrial life. He said, and I quote, "Black people are too busy trying to figure out life on Earth and I should use my creative time to stop injustice on the streets."
Lynn Nottage's "Ruined" Wins Pulitzer Prize
Ruined, the Off-Broadway play that examines the lives of Congolese women, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I'm especially stoked: I know Lynn as well as most of the cast of the current Off-Broadway production. So I'm throwing up a toast for them and Ms. Nottage's beautifully written and provocative play.
Young, Gifted and the Niece of Angela Davis
Should we have empathy for children who grew up in the Fight for Justice, but had their childhoods trumped by the bigger picture; or should we advise them to bite the bullet and point them to the future where equality will be paramount and no one will be compromised?
Africans Still Trumping American Blacks
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education released a report that seconds Dr. Gates' assessment as well as mine. Africans, Caribbeans and bi-racials are putting American Blacks to shame in higher education. But the bigger issue remains: many of these immigrant and "second-generationers" are not interested in identifying with "African-Americans" yet continue to benefit from affirmative action. So, what do you think about THAT?
African DNA - What's it Really Mean?
A few days ago Forest Whitaker was in Nigeria for the African Academy Awards and was honored with a chieftainship. Amazing! But why am I not excited? I guess I'm not sure what I ultimately want from Africa.
89-Year-Old Nazi Guard Almost Deported
Yesterday U.S. Immigration Agents pulled up to 89-year-old John Demjanjuk's home in Cleveland, strapped him to a wheelchair, and took him to a federal building where he was supposed to await his deportation. Is this man too old to be punished for a crime?
Obama and the Cuba Tease
What does Obama expect to happen after a few months of this new "access"? Does he expect Cubans to be content with visits from fam and ongoing news about consumer freedoms and then... just smile and bear it? If it was me, I'd want more and more.
Weed Out the Violence, Seed in the Coffeehouse
The U.S. Department of Justice is sponsoring a new community clean-up initiative called Weed and Seed. Now I'm no urban planner or licensed realtor, but this smells a little like a blatant primer for gentrification.
