Kanye, it's not a vacation

I once had a client, back when I was a stockbroker, who owned a very bad stock. The stock in question was bought, unsolicited, at .16 cents, and had rocketed to $22 over several days (though we did get to sell more than a bit at $18). Then it got halted. My client asked my opinion on why it got halted. That night the President (Clinton as I recall) was on national television and mentioned that same stock as he spoke about stock scams.

The next morning I told my client that the stock was worthless. He mentioned that it had yet to start trading. To which I replied

“When the President of the United States says negatives about something, it is over.”

I mentioned this because I feel much the same can be said about Kanye West.

Though it has caused a bit of a stir in the media, President Obama was overheard speaking about West and his actions at the VMA’s this weekend. When President Obama was asked what his opinion was he stated

“He's a jackass.”

It’s simple and straightforward. The most loved President in my lifetime has stated that Kanye West is done. Even in a world of ADHD and instant fame, I cannot imagine a recovery from that.

Not that I think Kanye should get yet another chance. He has had plenty. And in each instance he has reacted with a fake sincerity that begs someone to punch him in the mouth.

But now that President Obama, the figure that some hold in regard equal to religious figures, has stated his disdain… well what else is there. Kanye West should just slink away and enjoy whatever money he has not spent so far in self-gratification.

In this one instance I can say that I’m in full agreement with President Obama, and hope that his Presidential action reflect across the nation.

{As a side note, the stock in question did start trading after the President spoke. It opened at .25 cents and ended the day at .005 cents as I recall. It was worthless the next day.}

Paris Hilton may not be a slut, but...

So for the record, Paris Hilton has stated that she is not stupid, or a slut. She felt compelled to mention this before the MTV premiere of a documentary on her life hits the airwaves in a few days. I suppose that answers that.

But having read her response, and the fact that she claims that the image the public has of her being a rich, bratty, idiot is all an act, I thought a comment was necessary. I can use a quote one of my oldest friends once said (not sure if he made it up or heard it somewhere) that I have never forgotten

“You may not be a ho. But you are in the clothes of a ho, you act like a ho. So you can understand if I am confused and treat you like a ho.”

Paris Hilton acts like a slut. She acts like an idiot. In fact if this is just a marketing scheme the woman needs to be provided an Oscar. If this is an act, then why the hell did she not use all this massively incredible skill in any movie which she has appeared in?

As I recall, the coverage of her arrest and imprisonment all stemmed from a single act. Hilton was so incapable of normal responsibilities that she failed to heed the notice of suspension of her driver’s license that was in the glove box of her car when she was arrested. So either that was a brilliant plan to drum up media coverage of her flippant disregard of the law, and the excess of her wealth trying to abuse the legal system, or she is just too dumb to drive.

Look there are just too many reasons why this extremely skinny, extremely spoiled, extremely lucky heiress can be called slut, idiot, airhead, fool, brat, and insignificant. And I can only think of 1 reason why she would like to change that image (reality). The trust fund that ensures she never needs to work or live in the real world, can be taken away if the family get upset enough. In fact, such rumors were swirling just before Hilton stopped being the tabloid pin-up girl about 1 or 2 years ago as I recall.

Perhaps jail brought a dose of reality to Hilton. Perhaps the fear of losing more money than some countries GDP sobered up her actions. Or perhaps this is an elaborate marketing trick to make her popular, again (for whatever reason find her interesting in the first place). Whatever it may be, the end result is the same.

Paris Hilton ‘wears the clothes’, and has the mannerisms of a prostitute. She appears to be about as business minded and intellectual as a crackhead (and to me a similar figure). She has almost as much acting ability as the former Taco Bell Chihuahua. But if I am mistaken, you can understand why.

And what in the world justifies a documentary on Paris Hilton? Beyond having a sex tape, going to jail because of her own stupidity, and having been the progeny of a very blue-blood lineage, there is nothing interesting about her. It might just be me, but Anna Nicole Smith contributed more to the world, and will have a more lasting effect than Hilton. The standards at MTV really have just gone to ground.

Remembering Michael Jackson

I was speaking with friends yesterday and today about the sudden death of Michael Jackson and we recalled many things. I want to take a moment to share some of those thoughts with you.

I can recall being a very young child and hearing ABC 123 from the Jackson 5. To this day just thinking of the title of that song instantly brings up the memory of that song, hearing MJ’s voice in my mind, and the summer in the 70’s. It’s a good memory.



That’s something that I think most of us can say. Hearing some of our favorite songs by Michael Jackson brings us back to memories of our youth, or even more recent days, that are pleasant and fun. Not every singer can do that, not every song. But he did it many times.

I remember that I bought the Ben album back in the days. It was the second album I ever bought. The first was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. I recall that album to this day. It was sweet and melodic. It really just touched a cord.

I also recall being pissed at him during the 80’s. I had a girlfriend that was absolutely in love with him. Even more than me at the time. I’m sure other men had a similar competition. One that MJ never knew of, and one that none of us mere men could ever win.



My friends and I noticed something while watching all the news on Michael Jackson’s death. Videos from across his life were being shown split-screen as commentators spoke. And with no delay, with complete agreement, we were able to place every single song the videos were showing. That’s without any sound. No matter how old the video clip or music video.

Imagine the impact he has made that people of multiple generations can sit and see a visual snippet and know the exact song, and generally the year, without ever hearing a word. Something we didn’t even realize we knew until that moment.

Another friend noted that Michael Jackson is the progression of the great singers. There was Elvis, then the Beatles, and now MJ. Looking forward, there is no one yet that comes close to the talent, showmanship, and longevity Jackson had. And I can’t imagine, in a world of throw-away entertainers and American Idol, if anyone like this will come again.



The entire industry of music videos needs to celebrate Michael Jackson. I expect nothing less than a full run of every video and music clip of Jackson singing since his first televised appearance in the Jackson 5 on MTV. They owe him that.

Were it not for the foresight of Jackson, and his commitment to providing fans a complete entertainment experience, music videos of today would not exist. Jackson made mini-movies. He extended the length of time a video could be, he raised the bar on quality, on the production itself. Thriller was not a music video, it was a story. Billie Jean was a story. Remember The Time was a short film.



Before Jackson was making music videos, they were jumbles of catchy imagery that may have had nothing to do with anything. Once he got involved, we got an art form. And MTV was smart enough to break the color barrier they had for every single video he ever did.

Another friend noticed the incredible impact of Michael Jackson. Thinking back through the years of coverage, did you notice that ANYTHING he did was news. If he wore a new piece of clothing it was news. The sparkled socks (which respectfully Donnie Osmond did first – but Jackson did it bigger), the single glove, his hair, the outfits he wore (on stage or off). Hell, MJ just leaving Neverland was good enough to get 30 seconds of news airtime. No one is that big, just him.

When you think of the career of Jackson you have to think big. He started trends in fashion – basically all the clothes of the 80’s. He broke racial barriers world wide – there was no where he could not appear, and people of every description sold-out stadiums to see him. He broke industry standards – almost always having the biggest contracts, Grammy Awards, limits on music video lengths, 750 million records sold, 13 top 100 hits for a single artist, and on and on. He created dance crazes – though he was inspired by James Brown, he had the world trying to imitate his moves and Moonwalk – even to this day.



His music is so ingrained in the world that he is one of the top sampled artists ever. People of all ages have at least one favorite song from throughout his career. Every entertainer since the 80’s has tried to imitate some if not all of his artistry. Every entertainer that is a person of color has dreamed of matching even part of his success, and use his career as a guide path for their own.

All of this came at a high price though. He never grew up, at least not properly. He was reportedly shy. He was reclusive. He was likely a pedophile. He was beyond eccentric (though parts of his tabloid eccentricity may have been his own manipulation to gain greater press coverage). He hated his own face, and possibly race (the multiple cosmetic surgeries and rumored skin bleaching). He was a man with many demons, possibly addictions, and he couldn’t hide for all his trying. I doubt he lived a day without pressure and stress since he was in his teens.



All these things and more are Michael Jackson. He was by definition an icon, a figure too large to be merely like everyone else. He was as gifted as he was troubled. I think he may have been the loneliest person that everyone in the world knew and wanted to be near.

For all his faults and issues, for all the real and imagined deviations and eccentricity, for all the grandeur and splendor he craved and provided to fans, one thing will always be true.

Michael Jackson walked the Earth for 50 years, his footprint has been left on billions of people, and he made the planet overall better in the ways only he could. Such a legacy, such memories, such an inspiration are all things we can be glad of and hope to attain in a small way. I can think of few things better to say of any human being, past or present.

Viewer comment about 50 Cent

Some of my long-time readers may recall that I recently commented on the MTV program featuring 50 Cent. I'm sure they would also recall my thoughts about this particular gangsta rapper.

"So Curtis Jackson will be getting a television show on MTV. Viacom must be drooling. The executives there must salivate inbetween laughter at the thought that a ex-convict, crack drug dealer, making them money legally. It’s such a dumb idea that it probably will work."

Well in that post I also had a Youtube video commentary.



Now that commentary received more than just a few vulgar comments. Few were in english and contained a full thought. But one did. And I present that well thought out, interesting comment.

"Dear VassMike:

In your youtube rant, you have brought up many good points, and others that are not so good, witch I intend to address in this letter.

First, you are right, the whole 50 cent show is laughable if not a bad idea. It probably promotes various bad influences, however, no more so then any other shows aiming for the same adolescent audience group. The same group that 50 targets to make his money. And it works, he is filthy rich.

As for your proposal that he does not know any business other then crack and rap, is mislead. He had many other business movements. Such as a clothing line, bottled vitamin water (which he sold to Coca-Cola for millions), and probably more. He is very skilled and knowledgeable in what he does.

The rap is an easy skill comment shows ignorance in the subject. Rap is not an easy skill, in-fact it is very hard. To create flow with rhyme, syncing with a beat, and remaining comprehendible is no easy feat. Hence, most rappers do not know how to do this.

50 Cent (not 50 Cents) chose his name because 50 Cent was urban talk for something, which I can not recall at this time. It is not based on dollar value. This is why its 50 Cent (singular).

Now, I am hesitant to mention this because I am not 100% sure on this, however, I will write it anyway. 50 Cent, I am pretty sure, had put lots of money into urban areas in an attempt to make "hood" life better, but kept it hush hush so that it would not tarnish his name. And by tarnish, I only mean in the sense to make him look soft and lose record sells.

As for the crack "poisoning" people comment, I would like to say, no more than Players or Demoria cigarettes. Tobacco and alcohol poison people. I seen parents buy cigarettes over food for there children. The very same thing you are smoking in your video. I understand it is a lesser evil, but an evil none the less.

Please do not take this letter as an attack. You seem to be a clean cut, self respecting, and political kind of guy. This I like about you. However, I just feel that your attacks should not be so much on 50 Cent, and more on the whole video game/movie/music industry that allows this "its cool to be a gangster" concept come into play.

I myself do enjoy such music/movie/video game violent concepts because it acts as an outlet for my aggression, its entertaining. But I do not act in such a manner in the real world. It is a shame though, for those who are influenced and act out as they do on TV. There just needs to be better parents.

Sincerely,
ShadowsAndGhosts "

My reply will appear as a comment below.

50 cent sell a new opiate to the masses

So Curtis Jackson will be getting a television show on MTV. Viacom must be drooling. The executives there must salivate inbetween laughter at the thought that a ex-convict, crack drug dealer, making them money legally. It’s such a dumb idea that it probably will work.

50 cent, will have a program on MTV where people will compete in a business oriented reality program. Now my initial thoughts are these



Expanding on that thought I wonder what the competitions on this program will be. Who can take the biggest drag on a crack pipe? Who can stand longer after being shot? Who can run from the police on foot the fastest?

Perhaps I’m being too harsh. This high school dropout might actually be smarter than the things he has done in the past. He might have taken time in prison to educate himself. But I doubt it.

I obviously have a problem with unrepentant drug dealers that are glorified and promoted by corporations that wish to profit off of the worst aspects of the Black community. I dislike the fact that this sell-out will get pennies on the dollar to showcase a program where other people (inevitably mostly Black I assume) will run around looking foolish to make even fewer pennies on the dollar – if they win – all for the amusement and benefit of Sumner Redstone, Viacom, and such.

Think about it. In the 1970’s it became impossible for these people to make money degrading Blacks publicly. In the 1990’s they saw and developed the ability to continue to disenfranchise and minimize Blacks via a medium that was already there, rap. They created and promoted gangsta rap, using the worst representation of the Black community – drug dealers. In effect they now have Black minstrels that go out and say words (especially the n-word) that they can’t say for fear of lawsuits, and rap in money while watching music videos that allow them to envision their greatest fetishes.

Am I against 50 cent having a show on MTV, BET, or any cable or television channel? Unless it’s a program where he is promoting people getting cleans and sober, or having drug dealers apologize for the death and pain they create, no I don’t. Because anything else is the blatant attempt to profit off of his infamy and usability.

In 5 years Curtis Jackson will likely be a fleeting thought. He will likely be relegated to some top 40 playlist when radio stations revisit the past hits. He’ll pop up on a VH1 remembering the 2000 program. But likely that will be it. Because he is not memorable. He is not unique. He is barely capable of being called an artist. And with his loss of fame will go his money, I’m sure.

But until his 15 minutes are up, after he has been milked for every dime he can squeeze out of young White teens in the suburbs and the Black community, he will be dropped as fast as every other rapper you can’t name from the past decade that was once the top.

If you see this program on MTV - 50 Cent: The Money and the Power – know that you are filling the coffers of men that collect money for the buffoonery of 50 cent. If you watch this know that you are spitting on the graves of crackheads that died so that Curtis Jackson could wear the latest trend in clothing at one point in his life. Because every dollar and dime that goes to anything with 50 cent is another dagger in the backs of people Curtis Jackson poisoned and never looked back on.

But if you disagree, if you have a reason I (or anyone) should see this show, please let me know. I’d love to hear that argument.

Guns 'N Roses cause guns and arrest

During the last 3 days I’ve been suffering from a sprain in my shoulder. It’s making my typing difficult to do, especially in the amounts I normally do. Considering how much I’ve written on the Democratic National Convention, I haven’t been able to do much more.

But when I saw this I had to tell you about it. Bloggers beware, the FBI are cracking down.

Now I do respect the laws of the nation, and the FBI. But they have gone way too far. It seems that Kevin Cogill, of Antiquiet, was arrested by the FBI because he put 9 songs from the upcoming Guns ‘N Roses Chinese Democracy album on his site.

The FBI arrived at dawn, reportedly en masse. They arrested Cogill with no lack of impending doom as you might expect. And the reason why is that he released the songs ahead of time, breaking copyright laws. Even though the songs had been removed by the time of arrest.

Since when is that the proper response? Since when does the FBI bother with a copyright issue? Isn’t this normally an issue that lawyers resolve with a stroke of a pen, threatening a lawsuit if the material is not removed (which it was)?

This is overkill, and a problem for bloggers of all sizes. If ABC News, or MTV, the news media, or Sirius Radio played the songs before release (which radio stations have long done) there would never be FBI closing down those companies. The DJ responsible would never be yanked of the air until they can make bail. They would never have to face criminal charges in court.

We bloggers are powerful, there is no question. I reach 119 countries each month on this blog alone. I write for about 40 blogs (when I’m in good health) each month. And I am often controversial and critical in what I write. I’m sure that I piss off various parts of the Government, politicians, entertainers and celebrities, Hollywood, athletes, countries, racists, and a host of others on a regular basis. Does that mean I should fear the police?

My posts have been usurped by other websites that I don’t write to. PrettyShady.com stole my post on Brawlin'at the Belmar - my first BMX Pro-Am dirt jumping tournament, calling me an employee. [They also have false information on their contacts – protecting them from being told to remove information] But I didn’t decide to get the FBI to arrest them for violating my copyrights. [I do not authorize the wholesale copying of my posts or content, though excepts with links and/or full credit are permissible.] But the precedent stated means that I could have done that instead of letting them know to remove the copied material or face a lawsuit.

If the FBI can arrest a blogger for releasing a song early, what is next? Arrests because you used a public photo (with credit to its source) of a politician in a negative post? Possession of a podcast or post on a laptop or cell phone means federal charges for distribution or receiving stolen goods? And how long is it before a blogger just gets arrested because they wrote something someone else did not like.

I think about it now and I suppose that the movie previews that I do might violate a copyright, in that the person that got the video clip may or may not have had permission. Does that mean I should expect the FBI at my corporate office looking to arrest me, SWAT team in tow? Just because I think Oliver Stone is a politically biased loudmouth?

This may not sound serious, but my fellow bloggers it is. Stay aware.

I just hope the bloody Guns ‘N Roses album will be worth even half this trouble. But I doubt it.

Viacom just doesn't stop Part 3 - 8.21.2007.4

Concluded from Viacom just doesn't stop Part 2...

Many wish to target the parts of the Viacom machine. It is a good concept and effective to a degree. Change of one portion of their multiple arms does have an effect. Yet serious change to all the parts might only be possible in addressing the most important part of the corporation, its shareholders.

If you are tired of your mother, sister, girlfriend, wife and/or daughter being equated to a drug-addled, stupid, lump of flesh place on the earth for the mere pleasuring of any guy with money in his pocket, you might want to check your 401k and stock investments. If you are more than the potential subject of a police line-up, are only connected to Grand Theft Auto by the video game, can spell the word investment and know what it means, have meaningful relationships, all without the aid of a government handout you also might want to check with your stockbroker. Pull all of your shares and any mutual fund that owns Viacom except one share.

The reason to keep one share of Viacom, or a reason to buy one, is so you can go to the annual shareholder meeting and bring up a referendum on why the management has such disrespect for African Americans. Done with a letter signed by each shareholder that agrees with this question and a copy of this question and the signed letter of those asking going to each advertiser of VH-1, MTV, and BET. That can get Viacom to change regardless of the direction Redstone and Dauman seem to continue to take.

In the meantime, I see less and less of a reason to watch the programming of the Viacom company. It’s beyond insensitivity, as the post from Miss J states. This is active stereotyping and exploitation in my view. I cannot support such actions by lending my viewership. Can you?

This is what I think, what do you think?

Viacom just doesn't stop - 8.21.2007.2

I noticed something today at one of the blogs of a fellow blogger I know, Miss J author of La Femme Américaine Noire. It was a post on VH-1 and the story was something I missed completely. At issue was the cancellation of a planned VH-1 program featuring interracial dating. A topical issue and one that raises the ire of quite a few Black women.

What I learned was both troubling and inflammatory, though not terribly surprising. Here are Miss J’s words on the subject.

What I was NOT happy about was their reason behind doing it. Supposedly, the REAL reason was because they didn't feel a show with "educated" sounding black women would get ratings. Comments from the site that featured the story about this show being shelved included a few from black employees of VH-1.

Here is one quote: "I am the employee that leaked the information about the reason Vh1 turned down this reality show Interracial Love. It was told to the creators that this was not something Vh1 was looking to do right now and it did not fit with their network. The truth is that we was told to tell the creators this however that is not what was said behind closed doors. The truth is that this show does not fit the mold just as they said however they left out the part what also was said. This is word for word what was said, 'This is not a good fit for us here at Vh1 we are not interested in showing this family or black women in the positive light this show wants to. It is our thoughts that the viewers are more interested in seeing black people in a ghetto role. This show will not sell. Black women are looked at as being ghetto and not educated so we need to pass on this project.'”

I have always found Miss J to be a credible blogger, with insight and attention to detail. I have no doubt that the information on the VH-1 program is as reliable as is possible to determine. That is where I find a sadness and irritation. Not with Miss J, but VH-1 and Viacom it’s parent company.

Viacom seems to have the least understanding of and interest in African Americans, while at the same time a dedicated interest in profiting from this same target group. We are just a means of exploitation, as concluded by the actions of this public corporation. I don’t mean exploited like Nike targeting $150 sneakers to inner city teenagers with the concept that they will allow the kids to become professional basketball players or other athlete entertainers. I mean exploited as in the proliferation of gangsta rap music as the only option in the music genre, promoting drugs and violence.

Viacom owns VH-1 in addition to MTV and Black Entertainment Television (no connection to this blog). At each cable channel the main attempts to provide programming that directly attracts African Americans involves gansta rap, music video hoochies, drugs, violence, materialism, misogyny, lack of education, alcohol, and poverty. You might say where are those things happening? You didn’t see that, where did I?

Continued in Part 2...