Breaking the law entertainer-style

I am amazed at times by the actions of entertainers these days, and even moreso in cases by the reaction of law authorities in these cases. By example I mean Mr. Daniel Baldwin, who was not charged with a felony though he was arrested with drug possession and drug paraphernalia. Now perhaps Mr. Baldwin did not have enough cocaine to justify the felony charge, and perhaps he is not large enough of a star to merit the same kinds of leeway given to other big name entertainers, but somehow I doubt that. Were I, a Puerto Rican Black African American male with a clean record and prior service in the military, in the same circumstances I feel confident that the charge would be a felony. But as I said, perhaps I’m wrong.

Of course I’m not an entertainer. But were I, or a friend of mine who has gotten a drunk driving charge as a better example, it would be nice to be able to get the minor slap on the wrist that Ms. Michelle Rodriguez has received. While Ms. Rodrigues did serve 4 days in jail, her choice instead of 240 hours of community service, and a fine of $500 it does not compare to the suspended licence, $1000 fine, ~30 hours mandated drunk driver counseling that my friend received. My friend is a Black African American male. Perhaps the fact that this was in New York State that made the difference. Of course he wasn’t on a 3 year probation from a prior drunk driving charge either.

And there is my favorite entertainer a rapper. This time it happens to be Snoop Dogg, otherwise known as Calvin Broadus, and occurred internationally. What did snoop do you wonder? He and his associates assaulted police offices, resulting in 6 officers receiving minor wounds and cuts, and verbally abused employees of a duty-free shop and British Airways. Why would they do this? Because 3 of the associates did not have first-class tickets and were rightly denied access to the first-class lounge. Who do these guys think they are? If its such a big deal, why didn’t they just upgrade their tickets to first-class. And what gives them the right to abuse people for doing their jobs. And while throwing what I perceive as a tantrum the decide to pick a fight with the police. Now honestly does anyone who may read this think that a fight with officers over being denied entry where they shouldn’t be is worth it? Do you think that you would get out of the situation on a bail withing less than 24 hours? And for those of us that are Black African American, Hispanic or other minorities do you think that the cops wouldn’t have retaliated. I’m sure it would be explained as injuries due to resisting arrest or accidentally falling down some stairs, but I don’t doubt for a second that there would be repercussions. Hello Mr. Rodney King and Mr. Amadu Diallo.

I can see why some entertainers think they are better than average when these kinds of incidents, or others I have mentioned and the multiple others that I haven’t, occur and the reactions they receive. And some take it to an extreme I just don’t understand, like kanye west and his personal view of Jesus Christ (his picture portrayal on the cover of Rolling Stones I believe).

Of course some entertainers just think they deserve recognition because they are a big fish in their small pool. Like 50 cent [I still find that name annoying, 3rd grade english reminds us that it should be 1 cent or 3 cents but when have rappers needed english] who believes he is put upon due to Ms. Oprah Winfrey not inviting more rappers on her program. How the fact that Ms. Winfrey has not asked 50 cent to be on her show affects him or his career is sheer hubris to me. And how dare he, in effect, demand that Ms. Winfrey change how she does her work. If 50 cent does not realize it Ms. Winfrey makes over $50 million a year, is a media mogul and well respected. She does not need him, and picking on her viewers is just sour grapes to me.

The same can be said of Ludacris [another name I just won’t go into] who like many rappers, including the above mentioned 50 cent, believe they are actors on par with the likes of Mr. Denzel Washington or Ms. Halle Berry. In this case the statement was that Ms. Winfrey didn’t give enough time to ludacris, keeping it for herself (how dare she), and focusing to much on his main career of rapping. Perhaps when ludacris makes 10 million a picture and can be nominatied for an Emmy or an Oscar, Ms. Winfrey will focus on his acting, I think.

But I think all entertainers need to get off their high horses. Whether they get paid to play a game, sing a song, or play pretend they are being paid for work that is far less strenuous than working in a steel mill or a waitress in a diner. Their pay is also significantly greater. Considering that and the fact that far more often than not they receive slaps on the wrist when they deserve far harsher penalties for breaking laws, entertainers should stop acting like children. Or is it our fault for treating them like spoiled brats with a silver spoon?

This is what I think, what do you think?

Latin music grows, Star Trek gets younger, and a new bra

Yet again news comes out that implies Hollywood has lost all imagination and originality. While I do enjoy some of the visualizations of stories I have enjoyed in my youth, It would be nice to see something original or at least redefined well. I mean in the way that Star Wars redefined SciFi. Or how The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly recreated the Western. There is a saying from ancient Greece that there are only 7 stories in the world. Yet re-inventing and re-telling those stories has provided masterpieces through out time. You would think that the ability of Hollywood to continue retelling those stories (the 7) would have been wide open, especially with technology allowing innovations of CGI and special effects, but lately it seems there is a dustbowl where writing is concerned.

Specifically I am speaking about the news that a new Star Trek movie is planned. And much like the failure that was Enterprise, this too will predate the original series. This proposed story is the early days of the man who would be Starfleet’s greatest captain, Kirk, and his right hand Spock. I for one have little hope it will be well done. The sorry storylines of both Voyager and Enterprise do not give me inspiration or hope. [you can see a timeline for Star Trek here] The desire to show diversity in the crew, and the potential for racial harmony, was almost abandoned and coupled with characters that were pitiful representations of each race. I will use Tuvak as my principle example of that failure. A question that comes to mind is what actor will be able to properly portray each of the main figures Kirk, Spock and McCoy? And will the diverse crew be included? The Russian Chekov, African Uhura, Asian Sulu, and Scottish Scotty? Each was a symbol of racial unity and the ability of Mankind to exceed the pettiness of global national politics. With out these characters the message and central theme of Star Trek is lost. Seeing how most of the “revisioning” these days is little better than feces. I mean the Dukes of Hazzard, The Hulk, Battlestar Galactica, the list goes on. Need I say more?

Speaking of new ideas, there seems to be some steam growing behind the live stage version of the Lord of the Rings. This play is in Toronto Canada, so I have not seen it but it does intrigue me. I wish it were in NYC or somewhere more available to me. The ambitious nature of this enterprise seems to be attracting many people and has expanded its run by 12 weeks. While reviews have been good, if any reader has seen it I would love to hear about it. I have always enjoyed JRR Tolkein, and have read all 5 books he wrote. He was quite the visionary, and the depth of the world he created continues to invigorate the imaginations of generations.

Of course new generations of music lovers are also being invigorated now as well. Though I must admit again that its ridiculous that it has taken this long for people to acknowledge the impact of Latin music. I’ve mentioned it before that there has never been a lack of Hispanic artists in American music. Mr. Ritchie Valens, Santana, Mr. Jose Feliciano, Mr. Jose Isglesias, and Mr. Marc Anthony are just the tip of the iceberg that has been Latin music in the American music world. In the past the music industry, like most American corporations, have tried to anglicize artists and their contributions. I’ve always found that insipid and stifling. Denial of the facets that make up this country leads to separation and a weakening of us as a whole. Finally there has been a growth in both the understanding that Hispanics are an integral part of the nation and the acceptance of the unfiltered contributions that Hispanic artists make in all entertainment.

Hopefully we will not need to see entertainers like Mr. Benjamin Bratt and Mr. Andy Garcia denying or hiding their Hispanic heritage. For that matter I look forward to when entertainers like Mr. Vin Deisel will not have to keep their mixed heritage a mystery for fear of typecasting or failure to recognize their abilities. When we look at ancient and more current civilizations we judge them in part by their entertainment and celebrities. The height of many civilizations is matched by the height of their cultural arts. When their arts were restricted or diminished it often signaled the end of that culture. I think America has a ways to go, and the growing influence and recognition of actors, singers, and other entertainers of Black African American, Hispanic and other minority backgrounds is a sign that we can continue to grow. Now if we can just have better quality in those movies and music I’d be overjoyed. If I never see another movie the quality of Soul Plane, or hear a song the likes of basically any rap song these days my joy would be tripled. Though I admit that that could also be a restriction and thus a failure to grow. Still it would be my preference.

Now when you think about things growing, you may think of Frederick’s of Hollywood. Then again perhaps not. But if you did you may find that there will be a new line of undergarments coming out. This new line is created with the help of stylists for Hollywood femme fatales, and is stated to be promoted by an A-List of stars. Of course while this sounds fun, and potentially spicy I doubt it will be as good as expected. The reason I say that is in my experience few women, especially Hispanic or Black African American women have figures like Ms. Halle Berry or Ms. Demi Moore. And that is a good thing. Far too many women want to look like Ms. Calista Flockhart or Ms. Julia Roberts [you can see my thoughts on Ms. Roberts in my post Prince, WOW, Julia Roberts and Pete Doherty] and wind up having the problems of Ms. Mary-Kate Olsen (or whichever twin it is). I will never understand how or when extremely skinny women became the ideal. Throughout time, in paintings or sculptures, women with curves have always been the norm and the ideal. I have never known more than a handful of women, throughout the nation, that are Hispanic or Black African American that have the figures that are the current “ideal”. Even fewer have the bust size promoted in commercials or by companies like Frederick’s or Victoria Secrets. I do not believe that the average size of bra in the nation is 34 B. Even most White women I know are bigger than that. Or the sales of push-up and similar bras is larger than I thought. Well let’s see if they can get something interesting out there, and I’m looking forward to those commercials. It should be interesting at the least.

This is what I think, what do you think

Prince, WOW, Julia Roberts and Pete Doherty

I am glad to mention that many people out there still listen to music that I enjoy as well. On of my favorite is putting smiles on shareholders of Vivendi, namely Prince (or whatever name he is using now). Talented in both his writing and performance I think his impact in music has long gone underestimated. If you haven’t heard his music check out Delirious, Computer Blue, Bob James, Seven, and Nothing Compares (as sang by O’CONNOR). I think you’ll like it.

Vivendi should thank the gamers out there too. World of Warcraft was responsible for 18% of their revenues. It’s amazing to think that many people are online in the fantasy world, of which I am a part from time to time as well. MMO gaming continues to grow and I can’t wait for the next big thing, that is worth the time investment. D&D Online was a nice try but didn’t hit the mark like WOW has. But with Technology growing who knows what will be next. Online gaming is definitely not just for little nerds anymore.

Of course that does bring up the point that with the growth of the internet people are becoming more isolated from each other. Personal interaction seems to be becoming harder and harder to do I think. The backlash of more information available now is that we are losing a piece of ourselves. And that we lose perspective on how to best interact with each other. I think video games are the worst part of that formula. While I own a couple of systems and games, including the Playstation 3 I hope in the near future, I think the youth are hurt by them. I have observed many kids that do know what it is to just go outside and play because they are caught up in a game. That just isn’t health. And I see more and more parents using video games like some have used TV, as a babysitter. That is both sad and I don’t see how it will help raise productive children. The fault isn’t the games though. It’s the people and the choices they are making, in my opinion.

But in terms of other items that are disappointing there is always the stage performance of Ms. Julia Roberts. While I do applaud her attempt to work on the stage, which is something I think a lot of actors today should do to gain better skill and depth, it seems the reviews are just bad. I mean when the compliments are reflecting on her status of beauty and income from movies, that is not a good sign. Star power aside, I think the reviews mean she needs to do more work. And I have to ask why is she considered so beautiful? I mean she isn’t in my top 100 list of good looking female entertainers. I just don’t get it. I have never found her beautiful or attractive. Marilyn Monroe, Halle Berry, Anna Nicole Smith (young version), Allysa Millano, Kim Fields (during Livin’ Single days), the female love interest for Adam Sandler in the Waterboy (I forget her name), and others are in my preference sexy and attractive. [and would look great in one of my insribed T-shirts or other goods, blatant plug I know] Given my preference, when I compare the qualities, non acting just physical, of other attractive and popular actresses with Ms. Roberts I don’t see her matching up. Is it just corporate advertising or am I missing something there?

Of course one thing I am missing is how Mr. Pete Doherty has evaded serious jail time yet. In yet another bewildering denial of justice, Mr. Doherty was allowed to not face serious jail time [actually he has served none yet] for 7 charges of drug possession. If I as a Puerto Rican (Hispanic) Black African American, in England or the United States, were picked up with heroin, or cocaine and charged with drug possession I’d be in jail for quite some time. And that would be on the first offense. Of the multitude of Black African Americans and Hispanics in jail right now in the U.S., estimates are that 60-70% are drug related. In my personal experience, via friends and people I grew up with, first time drug charges lead to jail time of some sort 70+% of the time. Yet entertainers, of all races, get slaps on the wrists. Why? What part of entertaining includes the ability to flaunt the law? What aspect of being able to sing or dance or handle a ball provides a shield from the laws that everyone else must abide by? And what example does this give those children that look to go into those same industries? If a singer, or actor or athlete, can get caught with multiple different drugs on a repeated basis and released based on what amounts to their promise not to do it again (rehab and community service, maybe also a fine), how do we expect an artistic youth to not see that as their privilege too? How can we look at any child and say that they need to follow the laws when we allow our favored entertainers to boldly ignore them; and actively support those entertainers with records, videos, movies ticket sales, and trips to ball games with our children in tow. It’s absurd. I feel its time some of these artist should be treated like the common criminals they are acting like, regardless of what genre they are in or racial heritage they may possess. Either that or let the criminals get the same chance to promise not to do it again. At least then we’d be consistent.

This is what I think, what do you think.