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11-03-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
LEE DANIELS ON 'SPIKE LEE VS. TYLER PERRY': Spike is 'Precious' director's mentor, Tyler is film's exec producer.
*Lee Daniels says he doesn't have time to get caught up in the back-and-forth between one of the executive producers of his new film "Precious," in theaters Friday, and his personal mentor, Spike Lee.
Lee has made it known that he likens Perry's work unto minstrel shows, and Perry responded in a "60 Minutes" interview last week, saying he was "insulted" and "pissed off" over Spike's comments.
Daniels says he is close to both filmmakers and has no intention of taking sides.
"First of all Spike is a mentor. He's the reason why I'm talking to you right now as a filmmaker," the director told us Sunday during the film's red carpet screening in Hollywood. "He loves the film, and he and I are very good friends now. It's a very exciting time now for black filmmakers."
As for the Spike/Tyler beef, "I'm not involved with that," he said. "I don't' know about he and Tyler. We don't talk about it, at all.
"My mother said something was going on, but I'm so in the middle of my next film right now, and in between press for this, I don't really have time."
CHRIS BROWN REVEALS NEW ALBUM COVER: Singer tweets link to 'Graffiti' photo and stills of video for 'Crawl.'
*Through a Monday afternoon tweet, Chris Brown unveiled the cover art for his forthcoming "Graffiti" album, due Dec. 15.
The singer is shown dressed in all black - blazer, turtleneck, sunglasses and army boots - while holding an electric guitar over his right shoulder and a can of spray paint in the other hand.
The spray is directed both at the album's title, shown in a liquid, futuristic silver font, and at a collection of colorful cartoon characters.
"CHRIS BROWN 'CRAWL' VIDEO STILLS & ALBUM COVER+NIKE SPORTSWEAR RIVALRY COLLECTION FEATURING CASSETTE PLAYA & MORE!" Brown tweeted, with a link to his Web site, where he posted the photos.
In stills released from his "Crawl" video, Brown is seen on two main sets - one in a desert, the other a snow- and puddle-spotted alleyway. In both settings, he wears the same outfit: thick black glasses, brown leather trench coat, white T-shirt, fingerless gloves, white belt, jeans and high-top sneakers. In one photo, he is joined by Bad Boy artist Cassie, who will make an appearance in the video.
The video was directed by his "I Will Transform Ya" director, Joseph Kahn. "I mean, everything that's happened to him in the year, I think this is going to be his big statement, in terms of what he's feeling and what he's living through right now," Kahn tells MTV News. "I don't even know if Chris is trying to say anything with the video. I think he just sort of, as an artist, I think Chris communicates more through what he does ... and so what he does in the video will speak for itself."
RIHANNA RELEASES TRACK LIST FOR 'RATED R': Songs on new album revealed ahead of ABC interview.
*On the same day that ex-boyfriend Chris Brown unveiled the cover art for his upcoming "Graffiti" album, Rihanna released the track list for her forthcoming "Rated R" CD, which is due Nov. 23 - three weeks before "Graffiti."
The 13-song album will feature the Ne-Yo-produced first single, "Russian Roulette," as well as "Mad House," "Hard" (featuring Young Jeezy), "Stupid in Love," "ROCKSTAR 101" (featuring Slash), "Fire Bomb, "Rude Boy" (which leaked earlier this past summer), "Photographs" (featuring Will.I.Am), "G4L," "Te Amo," "Cold Case Love" and, fittingly, the last song on the album is "The Last Song."
The video for "Wait Your Turn" is scheduled to premiere Tuesday on Rihanna's Web site, where the debut of "Russian Roulette" was screened.
Videos for both songs were directed by Anthony Mandler. The "Wait Your Turn" clip was shot last month in New York, while "Roulette" will premiere on ABC Nov. 13.
As previously reported, Rihanna will also appear on ABC this week in an interview that will run on "Good Morning America" on Thursday and "20/20"
on Friday. It will be her first interview since she was assaulted by Chris Brown in February, for which he pleaded guilty.
WHITNEY'S NJ MANSION UP FOR SALE: Asking price is $5.6 mil for five-bedroom spread.
*Whitney Houston has placed her New Jersey home on the market for $5.6 million - a steal, considering it's less than half of its assessed value, according to People.com.
The five-bedroom, 12,561-sq.-ft. Menham, N.J., home is described by the real-estate Web site where it's listed as modern-styled home full of natural light and containing "circular-themed interior spaces," as well as a four-car garage, three fireplaces, walk-in closets, a bar and skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows.
It's also the house where she married her ex-husband Bobby Brown. The couple divorced in 2007 after a notoriously abusive relationship.
VERONICA WEBB DENIES DATING CORY BOOKER: Model is married with kids.
*Model Veronica Webb is laughing off rumors that she is dating Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker, especially since she is happily married with two children.
"He's a great guy," said Webb, who insists she and Booker are just really good friends and nothing more.
The gossip pages have also had Booker dating Gayle King and Arianna Huffington.
Webb, who ran in Sunday's New York City Marathon, married George Robb in 2002.
'SOUTHLAND' SAVED BY TNT: Cable channel to begin airing new episodes of Regina King drama in January.
*It's official - former NBC drama "Southland" has a new home at TNT.
The series co-starring Regina King as an LAPD detective has been rescued by the cable channel and will air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. beginning Jan.
12.
TNT says it will run all six episodes that were shot by NBC for its aborted second season, as well as the seven episodes from the first season.
Produced by John Wells of "ER" fame, "Southland" earned praise from critics but suffered from luke warm ratings when it premiered last spring on NBC. It was renewed for this fall, but NBC canceled it before its October return.
Set in Los Angeles, the gritty drama also stars Ben McKenzie and Tom Everett Scott.
MORGAN FREEMAN GETS 'DIRTY' WITH WARNER BROS: Actor signs on for comedy feature.
*Morgan Freeman has been tapped to star in and executive produce an untitled comedy feature for Warner Bros, previously dubbed "Dirty Old Men."
The project follows an aging playboy who finally meets the love of his life, while his best friend and wingman of 40 years (Freeman) does everything to break up the new couple.
The film is similar in tone to "Wedding Crashers" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The studio is hoping to reteam Freeman with Jack Nicholson; the pair starred in Warners' 2007 hit comedy "The Bucket List." Nicholson is not attached to the project but is aware of it.
Freeman will next be seen in Warners' "Invictus," which sees him portraying Nelson Mandela for director Clint Eastwood. He begins shooting Summit's action thriller "Red" in January.
SERENA BREAKS WTA SEASON PRIZE RECORD: Tennis star banks $6.5 mil to beat previous earnings champ Justine Henin.
*Serena Williams has set the record for single-season prize money in women's tennis by topping $6.5 million in 2009, reports the Associated Press.
Williams broke the WTA mark of slightly under $5.5 million, earned by Justine Henin in 2007.
Serena won the season-ending tour championships Sunday, beating older sister Venus in the final, and ends the year ranked No. 1. The younger Williams also won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2009.
Williams' career prize money is now at a record $28.5 million.
ANTHONY ANDERSON LIKES THE ASIAN PERSUASION: Married actor asks random woman to take a picture with him.
*The New York Post's Page Six is reporting that Anthony Anderson was at the Sony Cierge holiday party in NYC recently when he randomly tapped an Asian girl on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Would you take a photo with me? I love Asians!"
A witness told the paper: "She had no idea who he was. It was hilarious."
The "Law & Order" star tried to clean it up, saying, "I hope I did not offend you -- I really do love Asian women," and then said to a gentleman standing next to the lady, "Man, is this your woman? I am sorry. I just wanted to take a picture with her. I am happily married."
The amused woman reportedly laughed and posed for multiple shots.
MARLEY FAM HIRES FIRM TO MANAGE TRADEMARK: Toronto-based company to introduce backpacks, stationery, headphones and more bearing legend's image.
*The family of reggae legend Bob Marley is putting their collective foot down when it comes to managing the singer's name, sound and likeness, which generate an estimated $600 million a year in sales of unlicensed merchandise, according to the AP.
Marley's heirs have hired Toronto-based Hilco Consumer Capital to protect their rights to the brand, reports the Associated Press. Hilco CEO Jamie Salter believes Marley products could be a $1 billion business in a few years.
"The family managed all the rights before Hilco was brought on board," said Marley's fourth son, Rohan. "We didn't have a real good grasp on the international scope prior to Hilco, nor the proper management."
Rather than focusing on street vendors, who hawk everything from Bob Marley T-shirts to beach towels, the partnership is creating a new line of products dubbed "House of Marley" and will police the trademark vigilantly.
Planned merchandise featuring the musician's image, name or message include backpacks, stationery, headphones, musical instruments, restaurants, and even snowboards. Items are expected to hit the market in mid-2010.
ALLEGED SEACREST STALKER AN ARMY MAN: Plus, Chidi Uzomah, Jr. to be arraigned today on felony and two misdemeanors.
*The man accused of stalking Ryan Seacrest is not only a member of the U.S. Army reserves, but he is assigned to a part of the Army special forces, which is attached to the Green Berets.
TMZ is reporting that the Army has apologized to Seacrest after learning that Chidi Uzomah, Jr. is currently in the Army Reserves in Upland, California.
"We apologize to Ryan Seacrest," Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Nathan Banks told the Web site. "Pending the outcome of the local investigation, the Army will decide what further action to take. We take all matters of our personnel seriously."
Uzomah was arrested again Friday inside the E! Entertainment building where Seacrest does his daily radio and TV show. He is now facing a felony stalking charge and is scheduled to be arraigned today on the stalking count, as well as on two misdemeanors for disobeying a court order to stay away from Seacrest, according to Deputy District Attorney Wendy Segall with the Stalking and Threat Assessment Team.
Uzomah pleaded guilty in September to attacking Seacrest's bodyguard at a charity event in Orange, Calif., and was ordered to keep his distance from the "American Idol" host for the duration of his three-year probation.
According to TMZ, Uzomah was trained as a front line soldier and assigned to the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion. He previously served in the California Army National Guard from April 2005 through April 2009. He was honorably discharged and then transferred to the Army Reserves.
In other Uzomah news, TMZ has also uncovered video tape of the soldier in an acting class on Sept. 8.
Just days before his arrest for attacking Seacrest's security guard, Uzomah went to the Secrets of Acting studio and met with acting coach Charles Tentindo.
Chidi told Tentindo he wanted "training" and came into the studio just once and ran through a scene a couple of times -- oddly enough, it was some kind of interrogation scene where Chidi was the witness. Watch clip
here:
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=4307190b-2895-4509-86f0-1cb
ed1df28e1
Tentindo tells TMZ he thought Uzomah "seemed very sad and depressed"
and had a sort of "dark cloud" over him.
AUDIO COMPANY FILES CLAIM AGAINST MJ'S ESTATE: King of Pop reportedly owed more than $730,000 for sound equipment.
*Today's creditor claim against Michael Jackson's estate comes from
4 Video Digital, Inc., which is seeking $736,502.59 for rented sound recording and audio equipment "in connection with the making of a musical."
Jackson is listed as the performer and the producer, according to TMZ.com.
TMZ cites sources who say Jackson had been recording songs shortly before he died and A4V was working on the music at the time of his death.
One of the bills lists the start date as "6/9" and the finish date as "6/25"
... the day Jackson died.
An A4V source says the company is a co-owner -- along with the estate
-- of the copyright for the sound recordings.
The Web site has also learned that A4V was working with Jackson for years before his death in June and has a stockpile of recordings that have never been released.
HALF-BLACK TV CONTESTANT RILES CHINESE: Blogs, online posts filled with hate toward mixed-race singer.
*A racial firestorm has surfaced in China over a half-black, half-Chinese girl who recently appeared on the Shanghai-based reality TV show akin to "American Idol."
Lou Jing, 20, is the daughter of a Chinese mother and an African-American father who left the country before she was born. Her selection as one of five finalists on DragonTV's "Let's Go! Oriental Angel" has provoked an explosion of abuse on the Internet, a rare debate on racism in the media, and a bout of self-examination in a country where skin color is a notoriously sensitive subject, reports UK's The Guardian.
The report continues:
Dragon TV initially had doubts about allowing Lou to perform, but then realized that her presence would do much to attract publicity for the show. But few executives can have expected the fury contained in many of the blogs and online posts that accompanied her performances. The Internet is the only place in China where the public can express views with near-freedom - although they are rapidly cut off by an army of state censors if they stray into territory that attracts official disapproval. The huge online interest in Lou clearly does not fall into this category.
"Ugh. Yellow people and black people mixed together is very gross," was one representative post. And Lou's critics are incensed not only by her color but also because she is apparently the product of an extramarital relationship. Another blogger wrote: "Numb! This b*tch still has the audacity to appear on television! I don't know what to say! One cannot be shameless to this kind of level!"
Lou admitted to Neteast News that the level of hostility had come as a shock. "The whole thing was a big bomb to my family and me and it caused great harm," she said. "I wish netizens could tolerate my particular parentage and let it go as soon as possible."
She has stressed that she is a true Shanghainese, an assertion underlined by her accent. There has been no official response to the racism, but public figures have been quick to join what has become an impassioned debate on the Chinese and race. Media commentator and author Hung Huang wrote on her blog: "In the same year that Americans welcome Obama to the White House, we can't even accept this girl with a different skin color."
The China Daily newspaper also published a sterling defense of the young theatre student, written by one of its top columnists. "There are two factors at work here," wrote Raymond Zhou. "Lou Jing is not a pure-blood Chinese and anyone who marries a foreigner is deemed a 'traitor' to his or her race. More relevant, Lou's father is black."
Zhou concluded: "It is high time we introduced some sensitivity training on races and ethnicities if we are going to latch on to the orbit of globalization. People should realize that if you have a right to discriminate against another race you have automatically given others the right to discriminate against you."
Watch Lou Jing on "Let's Go! Oriental Angel" here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ewkusovtto
EUR DVD REVIEW: 'Food, Inc.'
DVD Exposes Dangers of Mechanized Food Industry
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Did you know that the four largest beef producers now control 80% of the U.S. market? Or that mass-produced chickens never have a chance to see sunlight over the course of their abbreviated, 49-day lifespan during which they are so rapidly fattened that many can't even support their own weight on their undeveloped skeletal structures?
These are the sort of inconvenient truths shared by Food, Inc., a scary documentary likely to leave you rethinking some of your own eating habits.
For what anyone watching this revealing expose' will unavoidably realize is the fact that agribusiness has turned food production into a highly-mechanized process more like manufacturing than farming.
The clever mega-corporations controlling the industry know that people prefer to think of their groceries as having been grown in healthy environments, hence all the packaging and advertising suggesting that what you're about to consume came from a wholesome family farm.
But the shocking footage director Robert Kenner somehow shot inside a variety of factories and slaughterhouses around the country tell a chilling story of misleading labeling, disease, pesticides, exploitation, genetic modification, monopolies and greed.
For example, the film informs us that Monsanto, the same chemical company which made the defoliant Agent Orange for use in the Vietnam War, has successfully cornered the soybean market. How? By patenting the only genetically-modified seed resistant to herbicides. So, farmers must continually purchase the plant from the manufacturer because it is illegal for them to harvest any seeds themselves.
Furthermore, we learn that Justice Clarence Thomas used to work for Monsanto and that many others in the Bush Administration had close ties to the company as well. So, it is no surprise to see that the courts repeatedly side with the bullying firm in so many lawsuits against the proverbial little guy.
Overall, Food, Inc. is to be commended for sounding such a clear clarion call for the consumer to rise up and start demanding natural and healthy alternatives to the processed junk which we're being fed in the name of profits.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG for mature themes and disturbing images.
Running time: 91 minutes
Studi Magnolia Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, celebrity public service announcements and a segment from ABC's Nightline.
To order a copy of Food, Inc. on DVD, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027BOL4G?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCo
de=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027BOL4G
To see a trailer for Food, Inc., visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJDGUxqEdYY
EUR FILM REVIEW: How to Seduce Difficult Women
Womanizer Teaches Nerds in Battle-of-the-Sexes Comedy
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Philippe (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing), a charming Frenchman living in Manhattan, feels free to have his way with women, since he's married to a bitchy wife.
So, he's currently carrying on a steamy affair with Betty (Opal Alladin), an attractive black woman who has no idea her husband Tiger is coming home from a business trip earlier than expected.
Philippe lets himself out of the couple's townhouse just as her spouse is about to enter, leaving it to his disheveled mistress to explain exactly who the handsome stranger he just passed was.
Rather than worry about her awkward predicament, he simply moves on to his next conquest, namely, Mercedes (Ann Hu), his Asian-American dentist.
But when she wisely rejects the hopelessly horny philanderer, he next takes a shot at Maureen (Alexa Havins), a sultry Southern Belle. He even has the nerve to fantasize about his shrink during a session with her about his sex addiction problem.
Convinced that what the world needs now is more creepy womanizers like himself, Philippe decides not only to write a how-to book delineating his modus operandi but also to teach a course on it as well. The text, the course and this movie chronicling his students' ensuing misadventures are all entitled "How to Seduce Difficult Women," a battle-of-the-sexes comedy which is basically a sloppily-edited, series of unfunny, disconnected sketches adding up to far less than the sum of its parts.
The movie marks the writing/directorial debut of Richard Temtchine, a cosmetologist whose prior claim to fame was having the late Grace Kelly as a client. His flick essentially revolves around the dates and fates of the ten men who enroll in Phillipe's class, a motley crew of romantically-challenged losers.
The knuckle-dragging Neanderthal suggests that his socially-awkward pupils adopt an aggressive, cave man approach, as if females are uniformly docile and desire to be dominated. He even supplies a blow-up doll, Sabrina, for them to practice on. His advice subsequently works for them to varying degrees, however the overriding sexist theme doesn't work for the audience, given that we've come a lot farther in terms of relating than merely dragging women off after conking them on the head with a club.
Memo to Richard: don't quit that day job as a hair stylist.
Fair (1 star)
Unrated
Running time: 90 minutes
Studi Quadrant Entertainment
To see a trailer for How to Seduce Difficult Women, visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bzQp-FJxsQ
STEVEN IVORY: Truly, Michael Jackson was It
*You don't have to be a Michael Jackson fan to enjoy “This Is It,” the Sony documentary chronicling rehearsals for Jackson's infamous 2009 London shows that never happened.
To like this film, you don't need to have considered Jackson a misunderstood saint. You don't even have to dig his music.
You only have to appreciate witnessing someone already at the pinnacle of his game strive to be better. You have to possess a voyeur's curiosity as to how things work, and be utterly intrigued with the spooky notion of a person so focused on their artistry that they literally become it.
It's long been established that Michael Jackson was arguably one of the greatest entertainers of all time. "This Is It" illustrates just what a ridiculously magnificent talent the man was.
That illustration, despite what critics rave of the film, doesn't come from watching Jackson direct his rehearsals. Every serious musician, whether leading a small town church choir or putting a lounge trio through its paces, knows that rehearsal is about being clear on what you want from your players and respectfully requesting it.
While Jackson does that, in the film the point of his baddness is made simply by watching him move. Because, in observing him dance--especially in rehearsal and not full-on, when you get to observe the delicate mechanics of his brilliance--you realize that while you were busy living your life, Jackson was perfecting his wildly intuitive skills as a performer.
While you were going through your divorce, even as monstrous sales figures of “Thriller” solidified his place in pop music history, Jackson was spending most Sunday afternoons at home dancing before a mirror to exhaustion (this is the truth), trying to conjure something new. While you were busy flip-flopping about things, MJ was breaking the glass ceiling of his physical and funky limitations. His was a greatness borne out of a work ethic so dynamic and single-minded that the results seem abnormal. The idea that other aspects of his life were said to be such a mess make Jackson's onstage mastery all the more startling.
And at the same time, while watching "This Is It," you realize that no one becomes the mighty entertainer Jackson was by even the most diligent practice sessions. The man was the recipient of a gift. A gift he came to nurture relentlessly at the expense of nearly all else in his life.
If you haven't seen the documentary, here's some advice in viewing it: don't look away. Even the most informed Jackson devotee thinks they are mesmerized simply by the man's trademark gestures--the kicks, spins and moonwalk emulated by a multitude of Jackson impersonators--when they are actually seduced by Jackson's entrancing subtlety.
It's the instinctive physical attitude and sexy rhythm that occurs in the nanosecond when Jackson's body is on its way from one show-stopping move to the next; the stuff you'll miss if you blink (or as I did during “This Is It,” try to take notes). Indeed, it is his funky subtlety that turns impassioned, joyful, physical expression into sheer magic, and during “This Is It,” many of the film's best moments are Jackson's sublime subtlety--the kind of groovy mini moves that had Jackson fans taping his televised performances over the years so they could relish the man's swaggering mettle over and again.
The truth is that it was Jackson's ingenuity as an entertainer--his verve as a dancer, his stylistic vocals that peerlessly homogenized pop and soul interpretations--that ultimately made anyone care about what went on in his personal life.
Consider that Jackson's beyond-eccentric public persona would have overwhelmed the formidable careers of lesser lights long ago. His abstruse, seductive dazzle as one of the greatest showmen of modern time was and continues to be primary reason for the world's fascination, worship and when required, sympathy for Michael Jackson. We only gaped in wonder at Jackson's complex private life, often ignoring and/or forgiving what we might find, in hope that something--anything--would help shed any measure of light on how a man can do what Jackson did on a stage with such soulful agility, fury and grace. “This Is It” is as close to an answer as we're going to get.
It is fitting that a film about the live pop music performance would be the last thing Jackson left us, in an era when the true art of singing, dancing and musicianship is all but folklore. “This Is It” is required viewing for anyone who (A) wants to be in show business or (B) is already in show business. Even if you make your living behind the scenes--as an entertainment executive, manager or attorney--see this film to remind you (or introduce you to the concept) that there is no substitute for absolute and unyielding talent. Posers, fakers and that hideous Auto Voice be damned.
By the way, after viewing “This Is It"--seeing and hearing all the truly skilled musicians, singers and dancers--the likes of Lil' Wayne should never again want to go onstage holding a guitar unless they can actually play the thing. Stop disrespecting the guitar by wearing it as a fashion accessory. Either dedicate yourself to the task of seriously learning to play or cease your molest of the instrument.
In fact, that--truly getting ones shit together--is the main thing I took away from “This Is It.” Matters not what you do or pursue in this life. After witnessing Jackson's dizzying onscreen craftsmanship and indefatigable dedication to his thing, if you aren't left with the irrepressible desire to step up your own game, then you missed MJ's most dynamic move ever.
Steven Ivory's book, FOOL IN LOVE (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) is available at Amazon.com (www.Amazon.com). Respond to him via STEVRIVORY@AOL.COM
THE BRIDGE: An Open letter To Bitter Women
By Darryl James
*This is a letter to tell you officially and publicly that I am tired of you.
I want you to know that it is time for you to shut your bitter ass up, get some therapy and leave Black Love alone.
It’s time for you to stop pretending that your mission is purely pro-woman, while connecting it to Feminism, with it’s confusing, conflicting and often anti-man rhetoric.
It’s time for you to stop making accusations of misogyny every time a man declares that some of the Radical Feminist propaganda has divided families and has demonized men, rendering far too many women incapable of finding love in men they have grown to distrust, dislike and disrespect.
If you weren’t so bitter about the broken promises of Feminism, you would be able to see the difference between Feminism and Women’s Rights. Many men who are strong supporters of women’s rights are repulsed by some of the Feminist propaganda and we should talk about that.
Instead, Radical Feminists have too many women talking about men who don’t support every message from Feminism.
Non-bitter ladies, these are women who are supposed to be your comrades in a revolution that has lost its direction, its purpose and its meaning.
You see, Bitter Women, when you first began to blame men for every problem you have ever come across, many men joined you and proclaimed our own guilt for your misery. And perhaps there was merit to that initial blame. After all, this is a male dominated society.
However, in the decades following the burning of bras and Feminism’s seduction of Black women, things have shifted. And while men dominate many areas of society, public opinion has largely become the domain of women.
In the hands of Bitter Women, men have been painted with the broad brush of misogyny. All of us have been blamed for the crimes of some of us. It has become popular to blame men for everything wrong with the world, including single parent homes, teen pregnancy and youth violence, but one half of the contributing group—women—are held as blameless victims, while also painted as powerful overcoming creatures.
You say that there are no men in the homes, yet men are to blame for the results of child rearing. You claim that you don’t need men, yet men are blamed for your inability to find a good man.
Your propaganda has declared you as independent and has declared men as unnecessary, even as many of your own proponents claim that they are victims of not being able to find what they seek. Your propaganda has declared that you have moved beyond us, yet are still being held back by us.
In other words, you have been playing both victim and victor.
That charade must come to an end.
Is there misogyny? Yes.
Must it end? Yes again.
But there is also misandry and it also must end.
The sad part is that many of you have no idea what misandry is and will be surprised that the hatred of men even has a word.
Because of the blaming of men for everything, far too many people have no idea that there are throngs of men being violently harmed and damaged by women every day, in addition to the men who are sitting in prison because of false charges of domestic violence.
You see, domestic violence is a serious crime, but unless we deal with domestic violence against men and the false charges against men, there will continue to be a growing desensitization to the issue.
My point is that being one-sided is also beginning to harm you.
Your one-sidedness has caused you to literally compete with Black men for the dubious honor of who has been most abused. Instead of simply stating your case, you have felt the need to downplay the case of Black men as though our community has to make a choice of whom to free. This may not phase you when it comes to grown men and women, but the same choice is being made when it comes to Black boys and girls.
What has to occur is that you listen more, and blame less, so that we begin to talk to each other not at each other. And, you have to pay more attention to Feminist propaganda so that you understand that some of it is harmful, even if you don’t know where it comes from.
Here are a few things that must stop. Right now.
Stop pretending that Feminism is perfect and/or ignoring the messages you don’t agree with as though they don’t exist. Some of the propaganda has us looking at each other with distrust and disdain, instead of being able to talk honestly about which men and which women are problematic.
Stop pretending that men who challenge Feminist rhetoric hate women. There are a growing number of women who find some of the rhetoric divisive as well.
Stop telling other women and men how we should think or act, based not on what is good, but purely on what you want. Just recognize as we should that if a person is not for you, they are not for you.
Stop telling other women what a man should be. Men can speak for what we should be.
Stop telling the world that the men in your life represent all men. Chances are you have been drawing sorry men to you because you are a sorry woman or because you have been looking for the wrong thing. Something has to change and it should begin with you.
Stop pretending that a man who speaks about one group of women hates ALL women. If the women being spoken of exist—and you do Bitter Women—then deal with the poor behavior, instead of crowing about misogyny.
Stop claiming that any man who opposes you or tells you that you need to do or be something different is “blaming the victim.” You are not everyone’s victim and that line is tired. The net result of employing this too many times is that we can’t talk, and/or in many cases, men just don’t want to talk.
Stop confusing people with your “I don’t want a man and don’t need a man” rhetoric, which flies in the face of your “I can’t find a good man,” rhetoric. If you don’t need or want a man, then why are you looking for a man? And since you make it clear that you don’t need one, why would a good one hang around?
Stop demanding parity when a man speaks of relationship ills. When any man dares to speak of the wrong that women do, we are charged with outlining the wrong men do to balance things out, yet the reverse never occurs. Your propaganda has been so widespread and so enduring that there are hardly enough of us to balance it out. None of you speak with balance, so quit demanding that any of us do so.
And, before you launch attacks against Darryl James, please understand that it’s not just me. It’s not even just men.
Many women and men are coming to see the fallacies of modern Feminism and the depraved rhetoric of angry, bitter women who pretend to speak for all women against all men.
Those ignorant books, magazine articles and television shows have been the forum for the bitter and the angry for far too long. It’s time to stop blaming men for everything and time to heal. It’s time to move beyond the anger.
You see, the healing can only begin when we talk to each other. For more than twenty years, we have been talking at each other.
So, unless you are willing to listen and prepared to accept some portion of responsibility, then it is time for you to finally shut the hell up. After decades of your shrill attacks on men, it is time for you to walk away and allow rational, sane people to see each other as individuals and begin to make things better for us all.
In her struggle for both the rights of Blacks and the rights of women, Maida S. Kemp, the former president of the National Council of Negro Women cautioned women against bitterness. “Unless a woman learns not to be bitter about defeats and not to be arrogant about successes, each of them, both your success and your defeat can limit you,” Kemp warned.
I’m sure bitter women will find a way to blame me for Kemp’s words, but if your brain is working, you’ll understand her message loud and clear:
Bitter women, your time is up.
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the powerful new anthology “Notes From The Edge.” Now, listen to Darryl live on BlogTalkRadio.com/DarrylJames every Monday from 7-9pm, PST. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Do The Right Thing
*Six people have been arrested in connection with the recent gang rape of a 15-year old girl in Richmond, California. And police say the group of people who stood by without stopping it or calling for help could face charges too.
At least one of the bystanders said he didn’t report the crime because he was afraid of retaliation. Would he have done the same had the victim been a relative or close friend? I doubt it.
It’s funny (peculiar – not haha!) how some people in a position to help others fail to show empathy for those in need. Some U.S. Congress people are guilty of the same behavior when it comes to healthcare reform. A prime example is a recent bill that was up for debate before the House Energy and Commerce committee.
Committee members had a chance to help lower the cost of prescription drugs by voting for legislation that would give biotechnology companies only five years of exclusive rights to sell a drug before generic – yet comparably effective- versions of the same drug could be sold at a cheaper price. Biotechnology drugs are said to be a new more natural form of pharmaceutical.
Anybody who has paid for a prescription knows generic drugs cost less than the name brand version. So it seems a no-brainer that lawmakers should want to support shorter exclusivity rights because it would create more competition in the market that would lower the costs of prescription drugs for their constituents.
President Barack Obama proposed seven years as a compromise with drug companies. The Federal Trade Commission even has argued there should be no exclusivity window for drug company giants. But the Energy and Commerce committee voted 47-11 to change the current legislation set at 5 years to extend it to 12 years.
That decision is good for drug companies who want to charge the sick more money for new drugs for a longer period of time before there is competition from generic drug makers who charge way less for the same product. Why would a member of congress support such a measure? Follow the money.
According to the Nov. 2 issue of Time Magazine, some lawmakers with biotechnology firms housed in their districts and with lots of campaign donations from those firms are voting for big business instead of the little people.
Some lawmakers might see parallels between their behavior and that of a character in the movie Saw VI. One of the characters in that movie is an insurance executive whose job is to deny a person’s insurance claim based on loopholes designed to save the company millions of dollars they should be paying to sick claimants. The lives of many people were affected by his decisions just to save his company money. And this man became a victim in his own game.
While I don’t wish for a real life jigsaw experience for members of congress who put their own self interests ahead of the taxpayers they are sworn to represent, I wish they would see their own family and friends in the faces of the masses and do the right. Because the life they save could be that of someone they love.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Dallas, Texas metroplex. For speaking requests, questions or comments email her at
teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com. Or see the broadcast version of her journal at youtube.com/steffanierivers.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
Today’s ‘Live Better With Willie Jolley’ Tip: Great Thinkers
Our ways of thinking determines our future. Great thinkers throughout history have had many different philosophies of life, but all agree on the fact that success is a direct result of your thinking.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long."
William James, the great philosopher and psychologist, said, "My greatest discovery in human beings is that they can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." Henry Ford said, If you think you can or think you can’t …either way you are right!" Dr. Ben Carson, renowned neurosurgeon, said "Think big, think bold, think stretch, think global, think quantum leap!" Finally, the carpenter from Galilee, the greatest positive thinker of all time, said, ‘‘If you can just believe, all things are possible to those who believe." Folks, you can if you think you can. As a man thinks . . . so as he is! Think great thoughts, do great things, and have a great day!
Visit my website at www.williejolley.com free motivation and make every minute count!
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Nov. 3: Actor Mike Evans (d.) ("The Jeffersons").
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Afrobella is dedicated to product reviews, ruminations about culture, music and fashion style, plus interviews with women all shades of beautiful. Check it out here: www.afrobella.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Nov. 3, 1896: JH Hunter puts patents on the portable weighing scales.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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