American Idol is for pikers, Harlem is for talent

With all the people that go out to American Idol each year I have to wonder why those that are serious actually show up there. Because when you think about it, it is one of the least successful avenues an entertainer can take to get recognized.

I came to this understanding the second I saw something most probably skipped over today. The announcement of the 75th year of the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night. For longer than any of the judges on American Idol have been alive this one venue has been grooming and introducing talent to the nation. And many of those that have gotten their start at the Apollo have become bigger stars than all of the American Idol contestants (and judges) combined.

The Apollo was the start for:

Women –

India.Arie
Pearl Bailey
Josephine Baker
Mary J. Blige
Brandy
Blu Cantrell
Diahann Carroll
Faith Evans
Eve
Ella Fitzgerald
Celia Cruz
Roberta Flack
Aretha Franklin
Billie Holiday
Lauryn Hill
Lena Horne
Etta James
Alicia Keys
Eartha Kitt
Stephanie Mills
Chante Moore
Nina Simone
Jessica Simpson
Angie Stone
Leslie Uggams
Sarah Vaughan
Dionne Warwick
Dinah Washington
Ethel Waters

Men –

Harry Belafonte
Tony Bennett
Chuck Berry
Ruben Blades
James Brown
David Byrne
Ray Charles
Chubby Checker
Nat “King” Cole
Sean ”P. Diddy” Combs
Sam Cooke
D’Angelo
Chico DeBarge
Bo Diddley
Fats Domino
DMX
Marvin Gaye
Ginuwine
Al Green
Isaac Hayes
John Lee Hooker
Ja Rule
Michael Jackson
Jay-Z
Jadakiss
Jaheim
B.B. King
Ludacris
Johnny Mathis
Maxwell
Brian McKnight
Prince
Lou Rawls
Otis Redding
Busta Rhymes
Sisqo
Keith Sweat
Muddy Waters
Barry White
Jackie Wilson
Stevie Wonder

Groups –

Bob Marley & the Wailers
Buddy Holly and the Crickets
Dru Hill
El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
Fugees
George Clinton &
Parliament/Funkadelic
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Isley Brothers
Jackson Five
Jagged Edge
Korn
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
O’Jays
Patti Labelle & the Bluebelles

Musicians –

Louis Armstrong
Charlie Barnet
Count Basie
Cab Calloway
John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Duke Ellington
Dizzy Gillespie
Benny Goodman
Thelonius Monk
Charlie Parker
Louis Prima
Tito Puente
Buddy Rich
Max Roach

And others –

Sammy Davis Jr.
Bill Cosby
Redd Foxx
Whoopi Goldberg
Dick Gregory
Steve Harvey
Jackie “Moms” Mabley
Richard Pryor
Chris Rock
Sinbad
Flip Wilson
Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee
Kid Capri
Doug E. Fresh
Sidney Poitier
Paul Robeson

And I have cut the list down massively. Yet if you are between the ages of 25 to 80 you know names on this list. In fact you probably know a couple of dozen of them.

Now with all that talent focused from one source you might think that the Apollo Theater would be the biggest thing out there. The proving ground for up and coming entertainers. That American Idol would make homage for a legend, and that someone would be highlighting the importance of the place. But you know that won’t happen.

American Idol is a great gimmick. The purpose is not to find great lasting talent, but to make a quick profit off of manipulated fame. William Hung never deserved fame, yet Idol gave it to him, and we were the worse for it. Thousands of performers that might have a shot at some kind of career in entertainment have their spirits crushed on national TV and never go forward. It’s a shame.

Now I don’t know the numbers, but considering American Idol has 2 winners a season out of tens of thousands, compared to several categories of entertainers numbering in the hundreds competing at Apollo (dance, groups, individual singers, comedians, ect) each week; I don’t need rocket science to tell me where the better odds are. And looking at the ultimate success of the Idol winners versus the Apollo again Harlem wins.

So if you want to see the future superstar entertainers of America, I suggest you turn off the television and take a trip to Harlem. Because that’s where the real talent will be.

39th annual Image Awards nominations announced - 1.8.2008.1

Amid all the conversations of Senator Barack Obama leading or slightly trailing Senator Clinton in the New Hampshire primary other things are going on. I must admit my own failing here because I have been dedicating a huge amount of time on the ongoing Presidential race. I’ve been following it all since December of 2006, and you can hear my comments on all of that at my Vass site.

[By the way, a Google search today shows that I rank higher than answers.yahoo.com and the heraldtribune.com for Republican pros and cons and wiki.answer.com on Democratic pros and cons. I also am 3rd, 4th, and 5th under pros and cons of Presidential candidates, 2nd – 5th for pros and cons of Republican Presidential candidates, 2nd – 4th on pros and cons of Democratic Presidential candidates. I suggest you take a look at why.]

So what else has been happening? Well the 39th annual Image Awards nominations are out. And while there are no clear surprises, there are no serious letdowns either. The choices on television whittled down a bit, and there were fewer choices among movies, but several items stood out.

There will be a special tribute to Stevie Wonder who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Great Debaters, about the history making group of Black youth that beat the Ivy Leagues in debates in the 1930’s and were denied their place in history, received 8 nominations. This film also stars Forest Whitaker, and Denzel Whitaker (no relation) who is garnering a lot of acclaim.

Best Picture nominations included Talk To Me, with the inspiring and very talented Don Cheadle, I Am Legend, starring the equally talented Will Smith, American Gangster, another good film starring Denzel Washington again, and Why Did I Get Married?, by the ever popular Tyler Perry.

Everybody Hates Chris and Girlfriends again gathered multiple nominations as they did last year. Joining them are 30 Rock, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Ugly Betty - again.

Dramas included Grey’s Anatomy (again),House (again), K-Ville, Lincoln Heights and The Unit.

The list for best actor/actress and several other nominations follow below:

Actor in a Motion Picture

Columbus Short - Stomp The Yard
Denzel Washington - The Great Debaters
Don Cheadle - Talk To Me **My choice
Terrence Howard - Pride
Will Smith - I Am Legend

Actress in a Motion Picture

Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Halle Berry - Things We Lost In the Fire
Jill Scott - Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?
Jurnee Smollett - The Great Debaters
Taraji P. Henson - Talk To Me **My choice

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Chiwetel Ejiofor - Talk To Me
Denzel Whitaker - The Great Debaters ** My choice
Forest Whitaker - The Great Debaters
Nate Parker - The Great Debaters
Tyler Perry - Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?

Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Janet Jackson - Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? **My Choice
Loretta Devine - This Christmas
Meagan Good - Stomp The Yard
Queen Latifah - Hairspray
Ruby Dee - American Gangster

Documentary

Bastards of the Party
Darfur Now **My personal pick
Desert Bayou
Price of Sugar
Sicko

Directing in a Dramatic Series

Darnell Martin - Law & Order: CI: Bombshell
Kevin Hooks - Lincoln Heights: Pilot
Paris Barclay - CSI: Meet Market **My choice
Roxanne Dawson - Heroes: Run
Seith Mann - Friday Night Lights: Are You Ready For Friday Night?

Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)

Denzel Washington - The Great Debaters
Kasi Lemmons - Talk To Me **My choice
Preston Whitmore - This Christmas
Sunu Gonera - Pride
Sylvain White - Stomp the Yard

Song

Beautiful Flower - India Arie
Just Fine - Mary J. Blige
Like You’ll Never See Me Again - Alicia Keys **My choice
Stronger - Kanye West
Umbrella - Rihanna feat. Jay-Z

Album

Alicia Keys - As I Am
Chris Brown - Exclusive
Kanye West - Graduation
Mary J. Blige - Growing Pains
Seal - System (Warner Bros. Records)

Literary Work - Fiction

Blonde Faith - Walter Mosley
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
Cion: A Novel - Zakes Mda
Knots - Nuruddin Farah
New England White: A Novel - Stephen L. Carter

The list goes on, but that gives you a cross section of who has been recognized. The Awards will be given out on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Good luck and congratulations for everyone nominated.

You can see the full list here.

Fear Master Shake, and who is most desirable - 1.31.2007.1

Well there were a few things that caught my eye today. One item, was the sad reminder that large amounts of wealth and a strong dash of fame rarely mixes well with friends and family. In this case it’s the signal of perhaps the end of a long friendship for Mr. Bruce Willis. While the lawsuit was settled, the fact that it had been made may be the breaking point between Mr. Willis and his friend. I’m always sorry to hear of stories like this. There are never any winners in this kind of situation.

Speaking of a no-win situation, imagine that you are just coming home after a particularly stressful day. Your only thought is to get home and relax watching television in that massage chair you got over Christmas. You sit down, turn it on, and after a few minutes you pop up wondering what you left on the stove that was burning. Sadly you realize that it’s actually your chair on fire. Not a good day at all. Luckily for most of my readers it’s not an issue, the massage chairs made by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd, are sold in Japan and Asia (and are being recalled). So perhaps your day here is not as bad as you might have first thought.

In terms of relaxing, it seems that there are quite a few men that daydream about a few stars. A list was made by AskMen.com on the 99 most desirable women of 2007 [why 99? And isn’t it a bit early to be doing this kind of list in January?] had Ms. Beyonce Knowles at number 1. A good choice I think.

Who didn’t make the list? Well I think Ms. Alicia Keys should have made it. Talented and good looking, but the low profile she had in 2006 kept her out. That’s a shame. On the other end of the spectrum Mrs. Britney Spears (is she still married?) didn’t make it either. Thank goodness. I’m so tired of seeing her face. Limited talent, not really that pretty, no class – why do people still talk about her? And where was Mrs. Jada Pinkett-Smith? She is classy and sexy and deserves to be on the list, married or not. I have to add a long time favorite of Ms. Claudia Black. [Ayrn Sun rules! I don’t give a frell if you don’t agree. My fellow ‘Scapers know what I mean.]

Now as for the other women on the most desirable list, Ms. Gabrielle Union is far too low at 94. Ms. Rosario Dawson made it to 77, Ms. Jennifer Esposito got 69 (higher than Ms. Dawson?), Fergie is 60, Mrs. Gwen Stefani hit 56, Ms. Mandy Moore ranked 53, Ms. Tyra Banks was what to high at 26. Ms. Charlize Theron could have been higher at 24, Ms. Angalina Jolie caught 9, and Ms. Jessica Alba was far too high at 3. There are a huge number of women I have never seen before (but I’m not big on basic television or low quality programming so that could be a factor). And why are most of the women so thin that they have little or no curves? Face it, they may say that Ms. Knowles is number 1 because of abilities, but her sex appeal didn’t hurt either. That sex appeal is in no small part the fact that she has curves. Why most forms of entertainment are afraid of women with curves I have no idea. If models were shaped more like Ms. Knowles or Ms. Mayra Veronica I’m sure Top Model or runway shows would be far more interesting, for men and women. But that’s my take on the list you can check it out and make your on decision. [Ms. Hilary Duff, Ms. Jennifer Aniston, Ms. Lindsay Lohan, Ms. Penelope Cruz, Ms. Jessica Simpson, Ms. Eva Longoria all made the list and I have no idea why.]

Lastly, I hope that the actions or guerilla marketers in Boston will not adversely affect the programming at Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. You may have heard how the various images of Err, and Master Shake shoke-up the city with fears of a terrorist scare or bombing hoax. It actually was just advertising that went wrong. It seems similar marketing ploys are in 9 other cities, and have been for weeks. I have to wonder though, that since these items were around for a couple of weeks (as was reported), did someone from the parent network decide to get some extra attention and called in the first couple of bomb reportings? Maybe an exec with a desire to get more traction since some poll showed the marketing wasn’t getting enough attention? I have to admit that I thought something was up when Err was pictured on screen and reporters fumbled to figure out who he was and the name of the show. They couldn’t even get the Moonites name right at first. Watching them describe the Aqua Teen Hunger Force show broke up the tension a lot! The apology at 7:59pm on Fox News, for screwing up the details, was classic!

This is what I think, what do you think?

Remakes, I told you so - 1.20.2007.2

Well don’t say I didn’t warn you. Reviews are out for the re-made movie, The Hitcher. Without any shock I see that it is almost universally panned. I knew it when I first mentioned from the promo shots what I thought of the movie. The villain is far less intimidating than Mr. Rutger Hauer’s Ryder. The protagonist is now the woman (of course) and even less believable that Mr. C. Thomas Howell’s unlucky lead. Gore has replaced actual plot or interesting action. Like most of the re-makes in recent time this only serves to motivate a trip to Blockbuster for the best version.

Of course there are even new lows in the world of re-makes. It seems that the various advertising companies have lost any hope of new ideas, or at least the one that made this decision. I’m speaking of the new Orville Redinbocker Popcorn commercials. For those that don’t know, there was a real man by this name. He did own the company, and the picture on packages is his. He did many commercials for his company in the 80’s, until he died.

But dead is only a temporary setback for ad creators without vision and on a deadline. There are now commercials that have brought back a computer enhanced version of Mr. Redinbocker. That’s just sad. It says something about the company and the ad guys, and in my opinion that’s not a good thing. One thing for sure, I won’t buy their product. If they can’t respect the dead, nor their own company’s founder I have doubts on what they think of the living. Using a corpse to hock their goods is just low class, and the bottom of the barrel in my opinion. Maybe you disagree, or didn’t know. My bet is that they are counting on the fact that the youth of today have no idea that the man existed. I hope Wendy’s doesn’t follow on this poor taste bandwagon.

In more hopeful thoughts the movie Smokin Aces seems good. While it is a January film (usually not a good sign) and it does have 2 hip-hop entertainers [Ms. Alicia Keys and Common] in it (incredibly bad sign) I hope it will be good. Mr. Jeremy Piven is quite an actor, as is Mr. Ryan Reynolds, Mr. Ray Liotta, and Mr. Andy Garcia. It looks to be stylish, with some type of plot and really good music and effects. Either way I will check it out. I might get surprised and the hip-hop wanna-be actors may be good, or at least have incredibly small roles if they aren’t. Anyone want to take odds on their performances?

This is what I think, what do you think?