tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190726302010-04-27T21:57:51.297-04:00Entertainment and celebrity news, movie previews and reviews, sports events, television shows and commercials, music videos, interviews, and commentary. A less mainstream media view for exceptional visitors.M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.comBlogger1698125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-67765442193751421692010-04-27T21:51:00.002-04:002010-04-27T21:57:51.311-04:00

For my readers that aren't aware, Blogger (the software that runs this site) is ending service for blogs like this one on May 1st. Don't worry, plans are already in the works to ensure that this site will continue on.Over the next couple of days there may be some interruptions and/or some of the links may not work. Please bear with us as we try to make the transition as smooth as possible.Thank

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-9566788982514229602010-04-26T02:17:00.005-04:002010-04-26T02:40:43.932-04:00

For decades I have had 1 pet peeve you might not have thought about. While I love sci-fi movies, I just get annoyed sometimes. Inevitably, in almost every movie, the humans wind up doing something miraculous and beat down the aliens that are almost all complete idiots.It's a pattern that you see in science as well as movies. If you watch Discovery Channel or some of the Science networks you've

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-55534807983292849522010-04-23T16:19:00.003-04:002010-04-23T16:39:30.628-04:00

While much of the nation will be talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, baseball, and the 4th worst loss ever (20 - 0, the worst game for the team in 124 years), there are other things to celebrate in sports.Given I'm not a big baseball fan. Still I did notice the score. And the stats are horrendous. The aggregate score of the three-game series was Brewers 36, Pirates 1Ten Brewers recorded an RBI

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-21469496938720031222010-04-23T15:54:00.003-04:002010-04-23T16:13:16.538-04:00

It's been 2 days since the Lane Bryant commercial aired on television. The question is will we see more ads like this, and if they will be treated like other commercials of the same nature.If you don't know what commercial is being referred to here it is.Now I realize that ABC found this to be hot stuff. So hot that they would not air it on their channel at 8pm. Kids might be shocked to see a

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-79826973528044193562010-04-22T16:52:00.005-04:002010-04-22T17:12:09.533-04:00

If you haven't seen this you really should. 2 men - William Shatner and Lin Yu Chun, singing a song - Total Eclipse of the Heart - made famous by Bonnie Taylor in the 1980's. It just boggles the mind.When Bonnie Taylor first made Total Eclipse of the Heart a hit, it was 1983. The song was originally made for Meatloaf, but his record company refused to pay for the song. So Bonnie Taylor got it.

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-9946416277430562412010-04-16T15:34:00.004-04:002010-04-16T20:12:19.366-04:00

I recall back in 1985 and 86 reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It was part of an English class I had at City College in New York. The purpose was to see some of the great writing from people of color that the standard public school education never even hinted existed.Things Fall Apart is the story of an African man, back during the early colonial days of the English invading Africa, and

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-26581327917463150312010-04-16T14:30:00.005-04:002010-04-16T20:32:46.482-04:00

You might have heard that 50 Cent is making a change. It seems that the bullet magnet is dropping one of his more notable marketing points in his effort to become less 'ghettofabulous'. What might this be? His tattoos.Now most people of my age or older got tattoos because there was a meaning for them. Each of my 4 tattoos is a symbol of an event or moment in my life. But the meanings of tattoos

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-1883804817880171432010-04-14T15:17:00.005-04:002010-04-14T16:40:18.458-04:00

Today the Movie Blog cited on of my posts (Tropic Thunder draws questions of racism) in a discussion of The Last Airbender and moreso the issue of race in movies. It's a topic I have long discussed.Now I will start off thanking Movie Blog for citing my work. It's always pleasant to see my work valued by peers. But I believe that Darren, who wrote the post, missed my point.Darren and I both agree

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-78296362191385348482010-04-13T00:24:00.004-04:002010-04-13T00:45:42.348-04:00

If you haven't heard about it yet, you will. Star Wars will be made into a comedy series. But if that isn't odd enough, it will be animated. Still need more? Seth Green will be one of the key minds behind the project.If you are suddenly thinking of the Robot Chicken episodes dedicated to Star Wars, you are on the right path. Seth Green is one of the executive produicers of Robot Chicken. And

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-28045814619283616412010-04-11T15:16:00.002-04:002010-04-11T15:33:41.968-04:00

When you stop to listen to some activists and individuals of dubious celebrity, you often hear things that just make you want to laugh or cringe. Often I have wondered why anyone would follow such a person. All of this came together when I covered Cindy Sheehan at her book signing in Binghamton New York recently.Some of the things she said was comically absurd, other parts contradicted her own

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-13156766817097053452010-04-10T00:58:00.002-04:002010-04-10T01:04:50.422-04:00

This is not about entertainment, but I feel very strongly about this. Please take a moment to read the following (originally posted at P.O.W./M.I.A. Remembrance Service in Binghamton NY at Wall That HealsThough it was a cold, overcast, misty evening dozens of veterans and their families came together at Columbus Park in Binghamton, New York. The reason for the gathering was in part the Wall That

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-42968188273544610082010-04-09T01:05:00.003-04:002010-04-09T02:03:26.297-04:00

Just working a lot lately on the Wall That Heals Viet Nam Memorial in Binghamton and the Cindy Sheehan book signing, so I needed a break for a bit. Of course that means the following music videos might not be what you would expect.OK, not really!Ok, that's more than enough. Back to work.

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-50215742264426899082010-04-08T23:08:00.005-04:002010-04-08T23:23:15.418-04:00

Cindy Sheehan is likely best known for the media circus around her protests of President Bush over the Iraq war. Less known, or at least reported, is her continued protests of Iraq and Afghanistan wars against President Obama.Given that background, and having the chance to directly ask 2 questions of Ms. Sheehan, what might you say? Well the following video clip is of Michael Vass, president of M

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-15539284330292459762010-04-08T01:57:00.004-04:002010-04-08T02:09:45.332-04:00

In yet another example of how little true talent is on American Idol, there is Lin Yu Chun. Don't know who he is? Well there is little doubt that many will know his name soon.You have heard of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. How could you not and be in America over the past 20 years (the song is originally Dolly Parton's song, written in 1973). Now think of that song, and click on the

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-2669395287878757842010-04-06T14:59:00.003-04:002010-04-06T15:37:59.441-04:00

I admit that I am surprised with the latest news coming out of Viacom's VH1. My shock is that the former music video channel has suddenly realized that African Americans might just be more than whimsical minstrels. This is a massive departure from Viacom's steady and degrading fare of television programing.Viacom is the owner of Black Entertainment Television (not connected to this site or

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-65136331793968405452010-04-05T16:12:00.006-04:002010-04-05T17:13:33.911-04:00

April 6th is the birthday of Michael Vass, president of M V Consulting, Inc. In honor of that, M V Consulting will be providing a rebate for items purchased from its Alchemy at World of VASS online store.Starting at 2:41am on April 6, 2010 for 24 hours items purchsed will earn a cash rebate.For any item or combination of items, over $20 up to $50, a rebate of 4% of the total (not including

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-40300844564168901142010-04-05T15:25:00.003-04:002010-04-05T15:33:40.282-04:00

I wrote this poem, and originally was torn as to switch certain words with the words following it in the (). But after comments from several women that I know, I will present the poem as is. I hope you enjoy it.What is it to be a Black woman?Am I just the embodiment of sweets come to lifethe toffee, chocolate, and caramel in walking form?Are my ample curves just objects of ridicule, envy, and

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-55740748761242230552010-04-05T02:19:00.005-04:002010-04-05T02:50:14.862-04:00

What can I say about the animated television show Ugly Americans on Comedy Central? That it makes Archer look classy, Futurama look like genius, and compares to pure anime like Bleach or Ghost in the Shell about the same way that you might compare Green Acres to The Matrix.There is just about nothing I can say that I like about this television program. The writing is boring, the art is lazy, the

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-31995699245238389772010-04-04T05:17:00.003-04:002010-04-04T06:04:50.326-04:00

Working in the White House under President Obama must be quite interesting. Possibly only slightly more interesting than the public tour since so many appointees seem to leave after short periods of time, in the middle of the night, over holiday weekends. Just ask Kalpen Suresh Modi - or Kal Penn as most would recognize.The news has been confirmed that Kal Penn, best known as the marijuana

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-38417172919884997622010-04-03T16:42:00.004-04:002010-04-03T16:52:00.932-04:00

When you think of a tortoise an image comes to mind. It's the same as a turtle for most people. Slow and small, the huge shell. A creature that most imagine as a passive and calm creature.That's not exactly correct though. A fact that a boxer puppy and his owners came to realize in this videoScore one for the tortoise. And if you were wondering, it seems that this guy has been practicing his dog

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-36340041525424352222010-04-03T01:18:00.004-04:002010-04-03T16:28:12.207-04:00

So let's admit it. When Asia gets ahold of American cinematic cultural icons they usually do a pretty good job of ripping it off. Often they come up with variants on the theme that are superior to many American films in the same exact genre. Credit goes to where it is deserved.In this case the genre is REALLY American. It's the Wild West and cowboys and gunfights. We're talking about John Wayne

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-39737690968793069452010-04-03T00:20:00.005-04:002010-04-03T00:57:17.311-04:00

It's been a while since I had a 9-ball pool video up, so I decided to display my most recent match. I am in the APA pool league for 9-ball, and was playing at Guys & Dolls in Endicott New York on Wednesday.My match wound up being against a player ranked as a 3. So he had 25 balls to make vs my 38.Now there is one new thing to add to this. There are 2 new half-tables (or bar sized table - 3 1/2' x

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-88115881850785491462010-04-02T19:06:00.005-04:002010-04-02T19:26:46.281-04:00

Recently I spoke about the racial discrimination lawsuit brought by Binghamton Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Broadus against Binghamton University. The suit alleges discriminatory action by Binghamton University against Coach Broadus, who is the only African American Head Coach at the University, in regard to a secondary NCAA violation.I further sought to contact Coach Broadus for an interview, to

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-39528778869668217062010-04-01T16:13:00.004-04:002010-04-01T16:50:12.947-04:00

Since I'm on the subject of music videos of late, I thought I might discuss Janell Monae. She has just released her latest video, Tightrope, which is quite interesting.It's a catchy song, with a great backbeat. It kind of takes you back to the old glory days of Big Bands, swing, and James Brown soul. Which part of the video is meant to be a tribute to - ala a modified Footloose.Comparisons of

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19072630.post-19364779347054393172010-04-01T15:17:00.004-04:002010-04-01T15:56:26.520-04:00

It's taken 6 years for this music video to get out. If the title doesn't give you a clue why it's taken so long to get out, everything from 27 seconds on will.Oh it's a parody of Outkast's Hey Ya music video alright. And it's dripping with sarcasm. I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw it. In fact I'm surprised that Chris Rock made it. Bold is not the word.The best thing about this video

M. Vasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13950156018638071509noreply@blogger.com0