Best Posts in Forum: Television and Web Series

This actually seems pretty tame compared to the previous L&HHATL trailers.

Dis yo city though.

 

That's the the kind of butt I like on a man. Ole musclar man butt!! Dark chocolate.. He look tall af too.

 

But how do you really feel?

 

If ypu go to the comments yoy see lots of comments stating that the show is good, though none of the commenters states why. Though they do make comments about the live interest being sexy.

I have also made comments about the likable and lickable fellas in this but I did mention that I liked the cinematography (and some of the show looking rather decent visual wise) & I totally dig the bag of 90s nostalgia tossed in.

An issue I have is some slight pacing but my biggest complaint is the audio, which can get quite messy in some scenes during narritive voice over.

 

I don't know how I missed this one... JGL KILLED IT....

 

This is another way for MTV to get a check. To think VH1 and MTV all mostly make their money on "the culture" now is amazing. At one time they wouldn't even play black folk music

 

Can I say, we need to fundraise and get you a network buddy. Well thought out BET Him programming.. Almost forgot it was hypothetical for a min. I honestly was ready to empty out DVR and start recording… There is such a thirst for POC authentic LGBT storytelling, there is never enough voices. Now if we could get the viewers to support, but I’m sure with a few legit A or B list stars changes everything.. Great article!!

 

@Ockydub Exactly right they contradicted themselves he "code switches" when he talks to the female characters which is a stereotypical behavior. Ocky makes a good point in that Black gay men and gay men of any ethnicity really who are "regular dudes." Are not deemed entertaining. This seems especially true for black gay characters. Content creators don't seem satisfied unless they're queening out for the camera.
They wanna see flamboyance, finger snaps, eye rolls, and bitchy attitudes, but no overtly sexual behavior. This is considered comedic, entertaining, and non-threatening. Otherwise otherwise gay black man is just another threatening black male with the added threat of being a homosexual which makes heteros both black and white very uncomfortable. If you wanna see a non stereotypical black gay character check out "Hap and Leonard." Leonard is played by Michael K. Williams who we all recognize as Omar from "The Wire." "Hap and Leonard" is now in its second season.

 

I would like to see more black,gay content creators challenge themselves.

 

This. Was. My. Sh!t!

Blacklight married spies? Yes! Why didn't the black networks pick this up? I really enjoyed it. I'm not even on Boris like that either. I just genuinely liked this show.

 

I've never even heard of 90% of these. The only one I've seen is Freefall. And...umm...

 

This thread is a blatant attempt to take away from the glory that is:

Dudes in Commericals

This thread is like when Americans remake movies made just a few years ago...

 

While I wasn't as entertained with this season as much as the others I did find it to be real as Fuck and maybe that's what irked my nerves. I think they definitely at least need ten episodes a season. My guess is next season could possibly be the last. I just feel it. The end of the first two seasons showed Issa and Molly not making the best decisions for themselves. This season ended with them taking progressive steps.

Specific Thoughts:

1. They are teasing us with this "Ross and Rachel (Friends reference) Will they, won't they" story. I feel they will end up together on the series finale. Issa and Lawrence truly get each other they just aren't where they need to be individually to be good for each other.

2. Nanceford has some issues with the law, or a woman back in Houston. That's my belief.

3. I'm glad Issa quit her job and is exploring her passion.

4. Molly needed this reality check from Issa. Hopefully she applies this at work and personally. By the way, I loved me some Jared so bringing him in was cool.

5. Tiffany and Kelly need to have a bigger presence on the show so we know more about them.

I feel like I'm rambling so that's all for now.

 

I don't stan for Karamo Brown but I do appreciate what he did during his days on Real World Philly. I was a teenager watching him on TV and he was the first non-stereotypical representation of a black man who happened to be gay on TV for me.

I don't see a problem with what is being done on the show through the trailer. It is their way of bridging the gap between straight and gay people or just people of varying backgrounds in general. I won't be watching it but if this means a nice and fat paycheck for Mr. Brown then I'm all for it. "You never lose men chasing money but you do lose money chasing men." - @Nick Delmacy (Cypher Avenue Podcast #8)

 

I actually plan to watch this but not because the guy is DL. But you're spot on. I'm tired of DL/closeted bi men being tropes and by extension, labeled as villains because of.

 

I liked the majority of your ideas, Nick but this channel would not be complete with out its own version of the View meets the Real called The Chill Spot. An all black male talkshow panel/variety hour would work great on BET Him. Id imagine 5 hosts with one slot kept open for guest hosts. Id like to see Keith Boykin or TJ Holmes (hed cover politics, govt & glbtq stuff), Laz Alonso or Tank (to cover entertainment, celebrities, & fashion) DL Hughley (veteran comedian, man on the street and commentator) & maybe G.Garvin (home, family, and cooking) as the perm hosts. I could imagine Tip, Tyrese, Shaq, Kobe or even Grant Hill hogging the guest spot for entire weeks at a time!

 

To watch the season premier
The Vet Life: Hello Houston

 

Aml was like "fuk dis gay ass shit"...

 

I was raised by my family to believe that there was only one thing that I might not be able to achieve in my lifetime and that was proved untrue by the election of Barack Obama.
The notion that "black folk don't" is to me such a narrow belief.
I have my comfort zones and am set in some of my ways but I've never been inflexible and I may not have always fully enjoyed whatever it was I tried but I've always been and don't ever see myself in the future not afraid to try something different and new.

 

Premiering on the OWN network; David Makes Man centers on a very intelligent 14yr old from the projects who is grappling with the death of his closest friend. He has to make a decision to embrace the streets or his education, which could provide a way out of poverty.

Between this show and The Chi, I can’t recall any other television drama that centered on a young Black teenage male with homosexual themes. It follows the same format as Tarell Alvin McCraney's previous work (Oscar winner for Best Film) Moonlight. The network trailer does come off as Moonlight made for television mixed with a bit of Patrick Ian Polk. While the trailer is beautifully produced, it puts me in the mindset of "not another Black gay web-series". Regardless, I will be watching it.

Check out the trailer and how Tarell Alvin McCraney pitched the show to Oprah below.
















Read the whole post here.

 

This October 1st, BET’s struggling sister network, Centric, will be rebranded as “BET Her.” A 24-hour network for African American women.



According to Variety, the rebranding of Centric as BET Her is “an effort to strengthen the channel’s appeal to African-American women. Centric launched in October 2009 as a rebrand of what was then BET on Jazz.”

For years now, Centric had already started an unofficial lean towards focusing on Black women for their content. Back in November 2014, the network subtly changed its’ subheading to “The First Network Designed for Black Women.” They started airing new episodes of the cancelled Queen Latifah produced VH1 show, “Single Ladies,” as well as docu-series featuring all women like “From the Bottom Up.”

However, the network is much more overt with its’ focus purely on Black Women now:



This made me think:

If there was ever a network created just for BLACK MEN called “BET Him,” would there be any uproar or dissent?



I mean, there are plenty of networks directed to men out there already: ESPN, FX, Spike TV and Esquire Network comes to mind. But none of these networks are specifically catering to BLACK MEN. With hundreds of niche networks out there, is that even a thing we could imagine existing in our lifetimes?

One could make the argument that, besides sports related programming, there are not enough show ideas out there that Black Men would even care about. I disagree.

As this website demonstrates daily, Black men have varied interests and television watching habits. To prove this viewpoint, I though it would be fun to pitch our own show ideas for the hypothetical “BET Him” network. Cypher Avenue editor Octavius Williams already created a show idea that would be perfect for our network for Black men, here are some others:

1. EASY RAWLINS (The Series)



The everyday man detective, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, created by Walter Mosley in a series of mystery novels, was adapted for the screen back in 1995 for, “Devil in a Blue Dress,” starring Denzel Washington as Easy.

In the source material, the character lives in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles throughout the 1940s to 1960s. But a 10-12 episode network television version of character could easily be updated to modern times.

Last we heard, FX was supposedly developing a series adapted by Josh Boone, a lanky white guy from Virginia Beach who wrote and direct the upcoming X-Men: The New Mutants film. I’m not saying that he can’t do a great job with the series, but the show made for and by Black men on “BET Him” might ring truer to the source material.

2. MKBHD aka The Marques Brownlee Tech Show



With 5 million subscribers and over 700 million views on YouTube, many of you already know about Marques Brownlee, the 23 year old online tech reviewer. He already has a huge fan base and deep ties in the tech community thanks to his high quality video reviews of tech products.

On top of that, its rumored that Brownlee has become a multi-millionaire from his YouTube channel that started 8 years ago when he was only 14 years old:



Standing at 6’3″ tall and very easy on the eyes, a tech series featuring reviews and interviews by Marques Brownlee would definitely be a perfect fit for “BET Him.”

3. Invisible Life (The Series) and B-Boy Blues (The Series)



For Black gay men (like myself), E. Lynn Harris and James Earl Hardy were their first introduction to what it was like to be gay. If you were like me and you read novels by these writers while tucked away in a local library, you know that these were our adolescent peeks into what our older lives may be like.

Hard to believe that none of their works have been adapted to the large or small screens.

My first gay novel, E. Lynn Harris’ “Invisible Life,” was listed as one of the top “20 Classic Works of gay Literature” by the Los Angeles Times. Spanning several novels (“Just As I Am” and “Abide With Me”), we follow the story of Raymond as he makes the journey of self discovery. The recap of the first book alone could fill a season or two of television:

Synopsis: Law school, girlfriends, and career choices were all part of Raymond Tyler’s life, but there were other, more terrifying issues for him to confront. Being black was tough enough, but Raymond was becoming more and more conscious of sexual feelings that he knew weren’t “right.” He was completely committed to Sela, his longtime girlfriend, but his attraction to Kelvin, whom he had met during his last year in law school, had become more than just a friendship. Fleeing to New York to escape both Sela and Kelvin, Raymond finds himself more confused than ever before. New relationships–both male and female–give him enormous pleasure but keep him from finding the inner peace and lasting love he so desperately desires.



James Earl Hardy’s celebrated (and sex-heavy) 6-book “B-Boy Blues” series could also definitely work on our hypothetical “BET him” network as a 10-episode show.

Synopsis: Mitchell Crawford always wished, hoped, and dreamed for a RUFFNECK – a hip-hop-lovin’, street-struttin’, cool posin’, crazy crotch-grabbin’ brotha. And he finally finds one in Raheim Rivers, who is a vision of lust: six feet tall and 215 pounds of mocha-chocolate muscle. Mitchell knows Raheim will take him for a walk on the wild side, especially between the sheets. But he doesn’t count on getting behind Raheim’s mask – and finding someone he can love.

4. BROTHERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES



Co-created by real life brothers Dawud Anyabwile and Guy A. Sims in 1990, the Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline comic book series has been a visually breathtaking work or art that has inspired a generation of new artists.



The unique visual style of Dawud Anyabwile’s art would be perfect for an animated series on “BET Him.” I can even imagine the great voice work from both unknown actors and celebrities to add an even greater flair to the “Blackness” of the comic book.



5. BLACK MALE ENTREPRENEURS (The Docu-Series)



A show featuring nothing but inspiring tales of young & old, past & present Black Male Entrepreneurs. Can you imagine that? No other network would even consider doing anything like this but a fake network like “BET Him.”

Flimed in docu-series form, we would see these entrepreneurs tell their origin stories in interviews and give keys to their success for other men out there looking to start a business as well.



Imagine how encouraging a show like that would be to young boys of all ages. It would show them first hand that they could reach their dreams with hard work and dedication, no matter what their current circumstances were.



A network series like this could also show the world that Black men are more than the stereotypes that the media depicts of us.

Shows based on original ideas, inspired from books or featuring real life public figures, the possibilities are endless. What show ideas would you pitch for the hypothetical “BET Him” network?



Read the whole post here.

 

EXCLUSIVE: A century and a half after slavery was abolished in the U.S., the wounds left by one of the darkest periods in American history are far from healed, as evidenced by the controversy surrounding the recent announcement of HBO’s upcoming drama series Confederate, from Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, which explores an alternate timeline of seceded southern states where slavery is legal and has evolved into a modern institution.

Another alternate history drama series, which has been in the works at Amazon for over a year, also paints a reality where southern states have left the Union but takes a very different approach. Titled Black America, the drama hails from top feature producer Will Packer (Ride Along, Think Like A Man franchises, Straight Outta Compton) and Peabody-winning The Boondocks creator and Black Jesus co-creator Aaron McGruder. It envisions an alternate history where newly freed African Americans have secured the Southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama post-Reconstruction as reparations for slavery, and with that land, the freedom to shape their own destiny. The sovereign nation they formed, New Colonia, has had a tumultuous and sometimes violent relationship with its looming “Big Neighbor,” both ally and foe, the United States. The past 150 years have been witness to military incursions, assassinations, regime change, coups, etc. Today, after two decades of peace with the U.S. and unprecedented growth, an ascendant New Colonia joins the ranks of major industrialized nations on the world stage as America slides into rapid decline. Inexorably tied together, the fate of two nations, indivisible, hangs in the balance.

Deadline announced the Packer/McGruder project back in early February. At the time, it was untitled, and the producers would not divulge any details about the storyline beyond it revolving around an alternate universe in the vein of Amazon’s flagship The Man in the High Castle.

It was HBO’s announcement of Confederate this month that prompted the Black America team to reveal the project’s premise. “It felt this was the appropriate time to make sure that audiences and the creative community knew that there was a project that preexisted and we are pretty far down the road with it,” Packer told Deadline.

Black America, which Packer said is in “very, very active development” with McGruder “off and writing,” originated at Amazon Studios. The service’s head of content Roy Price called Packer more than a year ago while the producer was on the set of his latest box office hit Girls Trip. “Literally, Roy said to me, ‘you’re either going to think that I’m crazy or brilliant’,” Packer recalled of how Price opened the conversation. “I said ‘Well, first of all you’re both, second of all, what’s the idea?’ And after I heard it, I said, ‘Yes, that underscores the idea that you’re both crazy and brilliant’.”

While it may have sounded crazy at first, “I was immediately enthralled by the idea; I couldn’t stop thinking about it and what a provocative and bold piece of content it could be,” Packer said. Price soon reached out to McGruder with whom Packer had briefly worked in the past on Think Like A Man and had been looking to team up again. “Being a fan of Aaron, I thought he definitely had the right tone, the right voice, the right wit to handle a project like this,” Packer said. “Aaron and I sat together and talked about what a huge opportunity and responsibility it would be to do this project and do it right.”

As for the tone of the hourlong series, it’s “a drama, but it wouldn’t be Aaron McGruder without traces of his trademark sardonic wit,” Packer said.

Black America creates the kind of utopia that has been on the minds of generations of black Americans for whom the series may have a sense of wish-fulfillment.

“It was something that was personally intriguing for me as a black American,” Packer said. “You would be hard pressed to find many black Americans who have not thought about the concept of reparation, what would happen if reparations were actually given. As a content creator, the fact that that is something that has been discussed thoroughly throughout various demographics of people in this country but yet never been explored to my knowledge in any real way in long-form content, I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to delve into the story, to do it right.”

That involves “bringing on the appropriate historians to make sure we are telling the story in an accurate and responsible way,” Packer said, noting that historians have been brought in as consultants on the project, working with the producers.

Why is working with scholars on a fictional series set in present time so important? “Even though the story is set in contemporary society, not post-slavery, it relies on us being factually correct in telling the story of how we got to a contemporary society where you’ve got a sovereign country that is run by black Americans,” Packer said.

He declined to comment directly on HBO’s Confederate, which Benioff and Weiss will be writing with Malcolm and Nichelle Tramble Spellman, out of respect to its creators because the series has not been made yet. On a personal level, “the fact that there is the contemplation of contemporary slavery makes it something that I would not be a part of producing nor consuming,” he said. “Slavery is far too real and far too painful, and we still see the manifestations of it today as a country for me to ever view that as a form of entertainment.”

Packer said that it is early to talk about Black America‘s message since the series is still being developed. But by answering the questions “what if reparations were given, what would this country and that alternate country look like today, how would Americans look, our communities, relations, I think that there definitely is a message about how we co-exist today where that didn’t happen, there weren’t reparations, and you still have black Americans who are suffering from the effects of slavery in various ways,” Packer said. “You still have the prison-industrial complex that disproportionally imprisons black and brown people, you can trace that back for many reasons to slavery.”

Ultimately, Black America “will speak to where we are now and the mistakes this country has made and things we should do going forward,” Packer said.

 

I almost feel like there is nothing left to say about Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix that already hasn’t already been said. There have been some very positive and glowing reviews of the series – created and executive produced by Cheo Hodari Coker – which upon its release, briefly crashed the servers over at Netflix. In hopes of not repeating many of the same sentiments of those reviews like “Luke Cage is unapologetically Black”, I did jot down my thoughts and feelings in real time while binge watching the series.

Luke Cage: A 15 Point *Spoiler Free* Review

1. I loved the balance of Black male representation. We see real life common depictions of masculine sensible and sensitive Black men; contrast with the murderous Black males of the series. Even though the villains (Cottonmouth and Diamondback) were blotches on their communities, we witness the hands of the parental or authoritarian females and males in their early developmental lives that cause their current manifestations.



2. Social media is full of muscled chiseled 6% body fat gym bods…Luke Cage is not those dudes. Cage (Mike Colter) is a muscular thick dude and displays a more natural gym body.

3. This series doesn’t feel like Tony Stark’s-The Avengers-Daredevil’s New York. This feels like a community. It feels like a neighborhood. Daredevil’s Hell’s Kitchen is a place; Luke Cage’s Harlem is a character in the series.

4. The series is interwoven with social commentary concerning politics, racism, drugs, gun violence, hood riches, hypocrisy of the Black church, fatherless homes, police brutality, the prison industrial complex, Black history, incest and even briefly touching on transgender abuse.

5. The tone or internal conflict is not like that of other Netflix Marvel series. The other series’ lead characters (Daredevil and Jessica Jones) are brooding tormented individuals who seem like they need a hug and a therapist. Luke Cage (even though he has troubles) feels grounded. He is trying to decide is he a public or private hero while kicking ass and taking some of the spoils.

6. Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) is easily the standout of the series. I can think of or envision other Black male actors who could have possibly played Luke Cage; I can’t envision any other actor playing Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes.



7. Alfre Woodard’s ‘Mariah Dillard’ is the villain we didn’t know we needed. We witness her development from larva, pupae to adult villainy whose character changes the show midstream. Episodes 6-7 completely flips the show on its head.



8. Fighting choreography kinda left much to be desired for me. This doesn’t mean the action is not entertaining (it is); It’s just that it was not as entertaining as Daredevil’s martial arts action but is well above Jessica Jone’s. Luke Cage is about “throwing them hands”, hood style.

9. Cottenmouth’s laugh is everything. It may can only be eclipsed by the Joker’s evil laugh.



Negatives
10. The “science” behind creating Luke Cage aka Power Man within the series is weak, wack, corny and so not believable. To me, this was the biggest let down and downside of the series.

11. Being honest, I didn’t like Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey). His character looks like Sticky Fingaz and Samuel L Jackson had a son. It’s not that the actor didn’t do a good job at playing the character; I just didn’t like the character. Without spoiling the story it just seems like he could have been saved for season two and manifested himself as a ‘Coldfire’ mash up.



Closing Thoughts
12. Regardless if we like to discuss it or not, colorism exists within and outside of the African American community. Many view lighter complexion Black people as more desirable or attractive. I bring this up not because I’m color struck but because Mike Colter’s very dark complexion, I feel adds to his overall appeal which is needed in mainstream spaces.

13. Shades (Theo Rossi) needs recognition! His character is a conduit that moves the story forward.



14. Watching Luke Cage feels like I’m in 1995, getting a haircut, with BET’s Rap City on the television and a radio is tuned into a Black radio station blasting Reakwon in the background. Luke Cage is soul, r&b, jazz and hip hop…just like Harlem the music is a character in the story. The title of each episode is a different title track from the 90’s rap duo Gang Starr. Yes there is the ever watchful Biggie Smalls “Crown” portrait that hangs in Cottonmouth’s office but there is also the presence of D-Nice, Wu-Tang, Nas and ODB (in the promos), in addition to soul music running throughout the story.

15. Cage’s signature hoodie is a direct homage to Trayvon Martin, who was murdered while wearing a hoodie. A hoodie is always present, acknowledging that simply by existing, many view Black males as threats.



Of all Netflix’s Marvel series so far, Luke Cage is easily in the top position. The only stand-alone solo series I could see dethroning Cage is The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) series that is currently filming. At any rate, Long Live the Chief.













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I came across this Channel on Youtube by Alain de Botton. He gives really good TED talks too and topics on the channel are thought provoking, which I love and make me see and approach life in a different way. Just thought I could share a few. The channel is FULL of various topics and animated thoughts. Enjoy

 

Hey for anybody looking for something to watch, or a funny pick me up (with all the sadness going on) There's a cool new dramodey "Love@FirstNight" out. It features a cute couple rehashing all the mishaps, misfortune, and misunderstandings that made them the dynamic duo they are today.

Its by the same writer and producer as "No Shade" so you know it's been done right.

You can catch the first episode on YouTube or the entire seasons on the Artkutec app or Artkutec.com

 

I know a lot of folks hated this show but I always thought the first couple of seasons were gold.

 

Roots has been remade. Do you think it should have been left alone or is this definitely what we need right now?

 

I love the internet and everything it brings to forefront especially certain things we do not every see in the world in one of those is the black diaspora. I never knew about that word till like a few years ago and I found this series on youtube and I love it because it touches on "black" but not just the idea of just American black it's just black in general as in human not just as this other.

one thing I really like about this is it touches on some of the subjects of what does it mean to be a black person from different parts of the world like France, U.K. and other countries.


It's really interesting because a lot of time when Americans talk about Europe it tends to be this romantic kind of ideal, so seeing these was really eye-opening

As always sorry if this is not in the right thread.

 

So Marvel & Netflix's new collaboration, Jessica Jones went live on Friday, and from the TV commercials I knew it was something I'd give a shot. So I started watching it on Saturday, and I ended up watching the whole season by Sunday night. IT'S SO FREAKIN GOOD! Netflix has a knack for creating great original content, especially in the Marvel Universe. Hell, it made Daredevil interesting!

I was a little skeptical when I initially heard they were doing this show because A) I'd never heard of Jessica Jones before and B) Marvel and superhero stuff is EVERYWHERE right now, but I was impressed. I've seen the lady who plays Jessica Jones in stuff before, and I like her, she has snark and wit.

And then there's this:

 

@KritiKal Analysis as Blanche (the thot) @Ockydub as Sophia, (the 1 who hates everyone n the fact that they just don't get it) @Nick Delmacy as Dorothy, the resident 'shader' n @alton as Rose (who clearly stayed at the bar when she wasnt on screen!

Can yall pleeeease make this happen?!

 

I debated against giving you a lengthy reply of my opinion about this lol

but here's the thing: until today, I actually didn't know who the heck this Kyle Barker guy is. So, there's that....

You and plenty of folks here know that I seek out black experiences whenever I travel or whatever city I am in. I don't turn away the culture. No sir. Black night clubs, black parties, black restaurants in black neighborhoods, majority black cities. I am there



I am also fancy as hell and bougie asf. Just ask @Champagne_Papi. I love me a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, I am a dweller of gentrifying coffee shops, I live in Seattle, I love Coldplay and Maroon 5, I went to a majority white university and have pretty much went to thanksgiving every year for the past 5 years at a white family's household.