-
Cookie Monster: How Cookie Lyon Became the Most Compelling Character on TV
For all of Empire’s critics—and admittedly, I’ve been among them—there has been one aspect of the show that fans, skeptics and those residing somewhere in between have all agreed on: Cookie, played by Taraji P. Henson, is the best thing about the show. Cookie is the ex-wife of Lucious Lyon—a drug dealer-turned-rapper-turned-Jay Z-like figure with…
-
Rapper Azealia Banks Has a Problem With Gay Men
Two years ago Azealia Banks had a point about gay media and its portrayal of her as homophobic in light of her use of the word “f—got.” Though I did not agree with her, she was right in noting that some celebrities—i.e., the white ones who either are a part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual…
-
How Kanye Went From Bush-Baiter to the Sartorial Don Lemon
What will it take for some people to see that Kanye West is no longer the same person who once declared, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”? For some, it wasn’t West’s comparison of his struggle with the paparazzi—likely not helped by marrying a person whose business model is largely rooted in narcissism and…
-
Sorry, Shonda, but How to Get Away With Murder Has a Lot of ‘Gay’ Male Sex
It was rather sweet to see Shonda Rhimes dismiss the criticism—delivered in real time by way of Twitter—that the new ABC hit How to Get Away With Murder had one too many gay scenes the way she did. Ever cognizant of everyone’s humanity, Rhimes tweeted back, “There are no GAY scenes. There are scenes with…
-
Jay Z and Beyoncé’s Response to Rumors: Flawless
The way Beyoncé and Jay Z have managed to straddle the line between not letting the public completely starve from lack of details about their private lives, while keeping us as far away from their bedroom as possible, is impressive. It’s a level of control even the biggest celebrities of the day don’t typically get…
-
Is Kanye West an Internet Troll?
Michael Arceneaux writes at Clutch magazine that Kanye West has transformed from a so-called conscious rapper into the average Internet troll, willing to say anything to get attention. Lord knows I have tried to be patient with Kanye West as it’s becoming ever so clear that he can’t play spades at most peoples’ tables given he’s not…
-
Chris Brown's Fans Need to Sit Down
“A ‘Free Chris Brown!’ rally? Really? Michael Arceneaux writes in a piece at Ebony that likens the R&B crooner’s fans to enablers after they protested his arrest this weekend in Washington, D.C., because of an apparent altercation. I hate the phrase “you people,” but what in the hell is wrong with you people? A “Free Chris…
-
Why Kim Kardashian Makes Me Sad
While Kim Kardashian’s post-baby physique looks great, she has essentially morphed into Kanye West’s personal blow-up doll, Michael Arceneaux laments at Clutch magazine. Kim Kardashian’s [a—] looks amazing on Instagram. I wouldn’t touch her even if I had Kanye West’s penis in my hand, but she gets a “gon’, girl” all the same. Still, all I could…
-
The Bible, Republicans and the Poor
In a piece at News One, Michael Arceneaux writes a satirical admonishment of Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who invoked a biblical quote to support his calls to drastically cut food stamps for the young, elderly and poor. “No matter, though, because like most arguments framed by way of a biblical citation, there’s more than likely several…
-
Don Lemon's CNN N-Word Commentary Draws Fire
Arguing that the last thing African Americans need is for one of their own to speak down to them, Ebony‘s Michael Arceneaux checks CNN’s Don Lemon for urging blacks to stop using the n-word, describing it as a cultural term of affection. … Also, for the millionth time, even if you don’t agree with the…
