What an 11 year old told me - 5.31.2007.1

So I was having a conversation with the young son of a friend yesterday. We were speaking about Mind of Mencia which was on at the time. Mr. Carlos Mencia was having another good show, cracking up everyone in the room and then he mentioned that there are no love songs in rap, “except if you count ‘smack my ho’.” Truer words are rarely said.

But the part that caught my interest was what my friends’ son said. “Yeah, that why they created R&B.” Now that got the attention of both his mom and myself. We corrected him that R&B existed long before rap was even a concept in parties in the Bronx. [For those that have no idea, rap was created at house parties in the Bronx back around the late 70’s – early 80’s. In addition, rap was upbeat and about having fun not the current curse-laden repetitive trash.] But it had me wondering. Do kids today really think that R&B is a new form of music. That it’s an offshoot of rap meant to emphasize love songs and the like?

Could it be that the youth now have been so inundated with gansta rap that they have no appreciation or understanding of other forms of music? If that is true, then it’s a severely sad situation. The lack of school music programs seems to have helped limit the exposure kids get today, which equates to limiting the imagination and growth of the next couple of generations of kids. That is never a good thing for any nation.

Or am I just old now? I never equated 39 with ancient, as least not since I was 20. Perhaps this is a normal view and I just don’t get it anymore. I’m sure there are parents about my age out there, with kids around the early teens. What do your kids say?

This is what I think, what do you think?

Mind of Mencia season 2, The Riches - 4.1.2007.1

Well if you missed it, tonight was the return of the Mind of Mencia. Mr. Carlos Mencia didn’t miss a beat in jumping back where he left off. Right at the start he ran through the major celebrity meltdowns that happened while he was away. And did them well. Then he really took on a few things.

There aren’t many shows that can jump from jokes about the death of Mr. Steve Irwin, to a white guy getting eaten by a cheetah in Africa, to expressing admiration for MILF’s in song and make it all funny. Along the way there was a bit on how the “DEE DEE DEE’s” understand news broadcasts, which was right on the mark, and a great take on sports movies starring dwarfs, or little people I’m not sure which is appropriate.

The fact is that if this is how his season will go he is going to be on fire. He holds back nothing, and it’s a great thing. I’m sure his fame will grow. Expect to hear a lot about this guy soon. And hopefully the execs at Comedy Central have learned a thing or 2 from their experience pushing Mr. Dave Chappelle. Given they have then Mr. Mencia will grow exponentially.

In other cable network television shows, I finally got to see The Riches. It’s a very well done program. The story is involving and has a lot of potential. Like many of the cable shows these days it’s head and shoulders above broadcast network programs. I suppose if you like ‘reality’ programs or stuff like American Idol [I personally find that to be mindless drivel] you may not enjoy it, but if you like shows like Rescue Me, The Shield, Thief, Dexter and their ilk then you will love this.

I find Mr. Eddie Izzard to be a strong presence as the father of this uniquely unconventional family. Most probably are unaware of the comedy routine of Mr. Izzard. If you watch BBC America you may have seen it. Yes he is a Briton. And a funny one at that. He is also a very well dressed transvestite. Surprise, he wears women’s clothing. It has nothing to do with his ability as an actor, or a comedian. Watching him portray the con-man pretending to be a lawyer, and a frisky loving father, you believe him. His charisma is immediate.

No less believable and just as enjoyable is the performance of Ms. Minnie Driver. The mother and strong believer in her clan, she hits the right note between loving devious and determined. She is definitely not the woman to cross. She also has fantastic chemistry with Mr. Izzard. Of course her personal demons (the character) are no minor problem, though so far they have not really cropped up yet. But the potential for confusion and drama is clear.

The fact that the entire family is adept at long and short cons, pick pocketing, picking locks, stealing cars, and an assortment of other criminal activities makes them all formidable and interesting. An interesting twist, which existed before the hiring of Mr. Izzard, is the fact that one of the children is a cross dresser. The youngest son in fact, which is a unique thing for any program.

I keep mentioning that this is a unique program, and it is. Groundbreaking in a few of the issues that it addresses. And there is quality in every aspect of it. If you haven’t seen it, you really should.

This is what I think, what do you think?