teenjeoparty

working on the weekends has fueled my nostalgia for fox’s new jacked thursdays since the shows are in syndication during weekdays. fox has had a pretty good record of giving shows creative license and then jacking everything up through mismanagement (see arrested development). it’s a shame because the awesome line-up of martin at 8, living single at 8:30, and new york undercover at 9 was probably the highest level of black programming that has ever been reached. i think that all of the “clinton was the first black president” rhetoric is just noise. however, something was definitely was going on by 1996-1997 that brought the fringe african-diasporic aesthetic of the early 90s (e.g. kente cloth, spike lee movies, a different world, the OG arrested development) into mainstream american popular culture. can we hope for a resurgence of quality black/latino/asian tv programming in the next couple of years?

martin was a little racy for me as a kid, but now, i can see why all my friends and their parents lived by this show. i am pretty bored by the vague moralism and “family values” rhetoric of all the newer black sitcoms (everybody hates chris, house of payne, etc). actually, that goes for sitcoms in general. do they put childless couples on tv anymore?

the oxygen network shows about 8 episodes of living single a day midday afternoons. just saying. i live by myself. how often i watch this show is between me and time warner. readers of this erratic and practically defunct blog know how much i admire smartness and sassiness. this show makes girlfriends look like “the girls next door.” max and kyle were the original blair waldorf and chuck bass. ok, maybe that analogy is stretching it a little, but i don’t care. i also don’t care what other people say, LS was the greatest thing that queen latifah has ever accomplished.

this was my show. the ultimate urban crime drama. i remember in grad school, we had to brainstorm about the term “gritty” in an urban context. the nyu theme song just ran through my head. i can’t believe my mom wholeheartedly or whatever. i know there are a lot of law and order stans in the world, but though both shows share dick wolf as a creator, i don’t think i can really say that l&o is better. check this out via nyu’s wiki:

Each episode of the first three seasons of New York Undercover featured several hip hop and R&B songs for its soundtrack, with noted musician-producer James Mtume serving as musical director…At some point during each episode, one or more of the principal characters would end up at Natalie’s, a popular New York R&B café owned by Gladys Knight’s character Natalie, where a popular artist would perform a set. Among the artists featured on the show during its run were Aaron Neville, New Edition, Johnny Gill, Levert, The O’Jays, Montell Jordan Aaliyah, Erykah Badu, The Temptations, Gladys Knight, George Benson, Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, Xscape, The Notorious B.I.G., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, 112, Monifah, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, George Clinton, the P-Funk All-Stars and others. The two exceptions were a first-season episode, where The Notorious B.I.G. performs at a rap concert, and the two-episode third-season premiere, where Kirk Franklin and the Family portray a church choir.

was anyone else a little disappointed when malik yoba guest starred on the previously mentioned arrested development?

oh and just for the hell of it

black comedians have pretty funny ones

via gawker

via ebogjohnson

where the hell is dave chappelle?

aretha franklin’s “a deeper love” exemplifies all that i love about diva house.  some people may find it too literal, but i really am moved by the uplifting aspect to it.  i love hi-fives and fists in the air and throwing graduation caps.  because you know what, there’s nothing wrong with a little pride and proclaiming that “we did it!”

these are scary, depressing times.  i have personally had to deal with a number of crises in the past few months.  some of us may prefer to just drown our sorrows, exemplified by this bingo drinking game for the presidential debate tonight.  oprah may suggest for you to distance yourself from a given situation to gain perspective.  i prefer aretha’s message of looking inward and taking stock of all you have to offer the world.  i am kinda aware that this is just a cover of an earlier song.  i wish that i knew the backstory behind both songs, but i am going to stick with the aretha version because she’s the queen.  there’s also the fact that i am used to listening to this version, because my mom used to blast the entire sister act 2 soundtrack every morning before we headed off to work/school back in the day.

i made a resolution a few years back to improve my articulation. sometimes it’s really hard for me to express myself. taking into account how poorly i have fared in foreign language classes, i think the verbal part of my brain is a bit underdeveloped.

i decided on the bus trip back from cape cod that i would like to improve my communication skills through the art of letter writing. i have quite a few friends now who are living across the country or abroad who i miss on a daily basis. it would be nice to be able to tell them how much i think of them, tell stories, and share some of my general thoughts on life. it also seems very mature. i remember when i was a child, my mother would exchange letters with her best friend, who lived in LA. she would write on yellow or purple notepad paper in really alien-yet-feminine handwriting and sign each letter with a symbol… something she and uncle tony got from prince, i guess. whacky stuff, but i really looked up to their friendship.

additionally, letters are delightfully old-timey.

via a. lammer, i’ve found the perfect model of an outstanding letter:

i drunkenly rediscovered how awesome the internet is tonight.

maggie says that she is close to executing the blogs of baxter, fred, and i for sullying her domain with our negligence.

i wonder about the fate of cyborg memoirs now that she is in osaka, japan for the year.

i don’t have much to show for myself during the month of august except for posed photographs readily available on my flickr page:

hmm. maybe a fancy chart of my beach experiences next? fixing tags vs. categories?

DJ K-Swift, born Khia Edgarton died this morning in a swimming pool accident in baltimore, maryland.

well, i feel like a failure for missing my last chance to see the club queen spin in baltimore this past weekend. this is totally shocking. my heart goes out to her family and loved ones.

on sunday night, the mad decent central park summerstage after party featuring my favorite yung bol dj sega is going to be upstairs at the same venue as nicky siano’s new weekly party. i expect my soul to ascend to another energy level around 2am.

july 3rd beats in space podcast with guest dj nicky siano.

how do i follow up a casual saturday sunning on fire island?

zizek @ sob’s? I saw them last week at the LAMC showcase and it was phenomenal. heard cumbia versions of “baby, i like it raw” and “bongo bong.” had to peace out at 2am so i missed it when the party moved to check out the kumbia queers. clearly, my loss.

foreal people @ the lucky cat? I have a great time everytime i go…

turntables on gowanus? close to home and its been a minute since i’ve been to this party.

we’ll see!

dirty south joe roots of baltimore club mix for mad decent radio

no need no say no more?

pmjawn muxtape 4

highly influenced by the awesome dj set by fred falke on sat night at the tribeca grand. it was the first time that i’ve worn heels to a venue this summer and it was the only deciding factor in bowing out at 3:30am. i had also hiked for three hours earlier in the day, but the undeniable power of the filter effect kept me on my feet.  ff killed it with the live bass accompaniment. you can read about it at showtrotta. ned and chris c also held me afloat with their raw emotion.

uh, who has a beach house? i’m trying to make a beach house/french house beach party happen this summer.