Babies, Aladdin and Black Entertainment Television

What timing. I recent spoke, in a post What happened to Desi and Lucy?, about a commercial that dealt with the I Love Lucy television show. Now with the birth of their child, Mr. Tom Cruise and Ms. Katie Holmes are being compare to Mr. Desi Arnaz and his wife at the time Ms. Lucille Ball. This is just silly. There is no comparison between the two. In 1953 television was THE media outlet used worldwide. There was no internet or other form of technological mass media. While the saturation of television sets in homes was nowhere near what it is today, it was not uncommon for multiple families, and all members of an individual family, to be watching any particular show. Today there are upwards of 3 television sets in any home and each with cable often on different programs. I believe estimates place the top shows on tv today with only 6% of all viewers, as opposed to roughly 30%+ in the 50's. Mr. Arnaz and Ms. Ball were both stars of movies as well as television and Ms. Ball was also know for her work on the stage. Mr. Cruise has not been on stage or television (in a episodic program) and Ms. Holmes is hardly worth comparing to Ms. Ball. Mr. Desi Arnaz, along with Ms. Ball were the owners of a major television studio, provided groundbreaking programs and were an interracial couple - which at the time was looked down upon. Mr. Arnaz was a Cuban born American.

Beyond these factors, the birth of their child, Desi Arnaz Jr., made headlines as far away as Japan, which did not even get to see the I Love Lucy show. I don’t see the Cruise/Holmes child being as popular or as appealing to the world at large. In addition I don’t think that beyond the announcement any other attention should be placed on the children of celebrities. I mean why do people today find such fascination with the children stars have? While applauding the birth of a new life is always a good thing, the mania that generally follows a celebrity birth these days is obscene. It doesn’t say much about us the way we have paparazzi chasing families for a photo, because someone wants to but a magazine that has exclusive photos of the child. The same applies to photographers and the demand that supports them in other nations around the world.

On a lighter note is the latest list released recently. It lists the unsexiest celebrities and includes Osama bin Laden, Mr. Brad Pitt, and Mr. Gilbert Gottfried. Mr. Gottfried is particularly funny by the way, to me, and has a remarkable voice. You may not know him as well but you’ve heard him in the movie Aladdin, as the parrot, and the voice of the Aflac duck. I just find the list unique as how often do you see the above all together on the same list?

I also ran across something else. Some comments on the founder of BET. I find it interesting that there are people out there that find fault with what Mr. Robert Louis Johnson has done. The fact that there needs to be supporters rallying to him is absurd. Generally there has been a complaint that Mr. Johnson sold out. That he abandoned BET and his initial programming flawed. I just don’t see it. Why is it that when a Black African American does well, some segment of the Black community will assail them? Is there some unwritten law stating that you can only be so successful? That you can only make large amounts of money as an Black African American entertainer? That going from one business to another endeavor is some type of crime. Listen to this argument, it sounds absurd. If this was said of Mr. Bill Gates, or Mr. Rupert Murdock or others that have grown businesses and then went on to continue their success in other industries, the speakers would be looked upon as fools and/or lacking understanding of business. I for one think that Mr. Johnson has done exceptionally well.

This is what I think, what do you think.