BlogHer - Pop Culture - Comments

A Network That Could Be A Source Of Pride

Megan Smith — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:50:13 -0500

Hi Michelle,

BET is a network that could be a source of great pride instead of a source of embarrassment and anger.

And Adrienne, I find your experience interesting. It's kind of like twenty-somethings wearing flip flops at Fortune 500 companies. Like you said....sigh...

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

I'm sad for his family.

CantHardlyWait — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:57:39 -0500

Biological or not, Michael was their father. As bizzare as he was, he was their father. Black, white, cosmetic surgery, no cosmetic surgery, the king of pop, not the king of pop, to those kids... no matter who or what michael jackson was, he was their father.

wow

originaloflaura — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:53:57 -0500

Like you said, you can't make this stuff up. Another quote comes to mind here, too... something about how if men were the ones who had vaginas, everything surrounding that area would be considered sacred, whereas since women have to deal with this stuff, it's obviously unimportant and we're just whiners.

This commercial is so wrong, on so many levels. But as a Montrealer, allow me to critique "Le River Rouge" for its grammatically incorrect French. As any high school French student knows, the correct word for "river" in French is "rivière" or "fleuve." Additionally, "fleuve" is a masculine noun, whereas "rivière" is a feminine noun, which means the title of this video should be either "La Rivière Rouge" or "Le Fleuve Rouge," but not the mash-up, franglais "Le River Rouge."

But then again, perhaps this is also supposed to indicate more of Zack's faulty point of view, or represents his inability to think straight, as a "woman"?

Laura Roberts, Button Tapper

Respect

Adriennevh — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:44:04 -0500

I worked the show, I worked in the backstage (read parking lot area), where the seat fillers, mosh pit fillers and the 106 and Park pre party people were staged and shuttled over.

I was surprised to see how "undressed" most of them were. If this is an awards show, shouldn't the attire reflect that?

Girls in shorts shorter than any Daisy Dukes I have ever seen. Guys in jeans down around their knees (and these were the seat fillers!).

I understand that the "dress code" of some shows is not quite Oscar's, but it just shouted disrespectful to me.

As I was sitting backstage (I never actually saw the show), I was reading tweets on my phone from East Coast watchers and just sighed.

I have never been a watcher of BET, don't even know if my cable carries it or not, but I guess I am just disappointed that a formerly respectable tv station and awards show has "jumped the shark".

Amen

tzt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:44:34 -0500

It's been (sadly) kind of liberating to hear Michael Jackson's music and see his videos without the spectre of his crazy/tragic/creepy/pick your adjective persona of the last several years hanging over them.

I listened to an a capella recording of "Rock With You" that I found somewhere on the internet and was struck by the force of his voice. I watched some videos on VH1 Classic and just enjoyed the heck out of them for the first time since I was a tween.

It's brought back a lot of memories that he provided the soundtrack for, and that's the best way to mourn him that I can think of.

Tiny Mantras
http://tzt.blogspot.com

Writearm
http://www.writearm.com

Michael Jackson Overload

seakiev — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:19:51 -0500

Last night I was watching AC360 and they spent 50 minutes talking about Michael Jackson and the last ten minutes of the broadcast talking about other news such as our troops coming home from Iraq.

While I am sad that anyone has to die before their time, I’m concerned that some news organizations (like CNN) have allowed their newscasts to become dominated by all things Michael Jackson.

I’m just wondering if MJ’s life is more significant than our men and women who have died in Iraq?

Or what will matter more to our lives, finding out who the real parents of MJ’s children are, or finding out how we can cut down on healthcare costs and our dependency on foreign oil ?

My thoughts exactly

Southerngirl — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:02:56 -0500

Everything you guys said and esp this:

In fact the only way my cable box ever lands on the dreaded BET channel is if my finger slips on the remote. Then I make sure to get the heck out of there before my eyeballs fry and my blood boils.

I did try to watch a Boyz in the Hood one night and the commercials just got to me. I could not even finish the movie. I have blocked it on my kids' TV, I should just do the same on mine as well.

I hope no one was expecting anything less from Lil wayne. I have seen enough of his interveiws and listened to his songs enough to know that he beleives his press clippings.

I have written enough complaints to BET to wallpaper a room. I do not think they are listening. Because after all they are catering to their market. Whoever that is.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your perspective

Virginia DeBolt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:03:48 -0500

The more things change, the more things remain the same, right?

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer CE
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

So-called sleazy sources have been breaking real news for years!

Lisa Stone — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:53:45 -0500

Great round-up of links Virginia!

I have to say, however, that I'm rolling my eyes at so much of what's being said. I keep wanting to type in all caps on Twitter NEWS IS NEWS, NO MATTER WHAT TOOLS USERS USE TO READ AND SHARE IT.

It's been years since only The New York Times and the AP verified news. I don't think TMZ's breaking the news of Michael Jackson's death is revolutionary, nor is the fact that people have flocked to the latest news-sharing source (Twitter and texting) to hype a celebrity tragedy. Same behavior, different tools. It's certainly nothing new for a gossip mag or site to break real national news. Print tabloid National Enquirer (Jesse Jackson's child born out of wedlock) begat Web site Drudge Report (Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky) which begat gossip blog TMZ (Michael Jackson's death). Twitter and texting is just yesterday's cell phone con call and yesteryear's print newspaper and long-form letter. It's all news, wrung through the filter of "what's important to me the user."

Reporters from all media who turn to Twitter to find out what's up are doing what good reporters do: They're working their sources to find out what's up. Following someone on Twitter today is like me putting their business card in my Rolodex twenty years ago and dialing them on my rotary phone to gossip about what's up.

What is newsworthy to me is that the ability to curate and edit news and to provide perspective and context -- to separate what's hot, valuable and newsworthy from the spin, baloney and personal agendas sources try to feed to readers -- is still as valuable as ever. And that's called journalism.

They are HIS KIDS

Southerngirl — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:40:19 -0500

How a family is created is not important. That they are family is. It does not matter whose biology these children have, the person they knew as daddy is GONE. Never to return again. I was 33 when my daddy died (just like Micheal of sudden cardiac arrest) and I can still dissolve in tears 7 years later. I cannot imagine being so young and losing my parent. This is one part of this story I hope just goes away. These kids are too young for this mess and in this day and age thay can follow this crap as it plays out and it will be recorded for eternity in case they would ever like to put this behind them.

I think in all of the gossip that comes out we tend to forget that these are real live PEOPLE with families and people who love them. No one exists in a vaccum. We have to ask ourselves if children are acceptable collateral damage from the need of trashy details.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

Actually her fame is based

abgirl — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:52:34 -0500

Actually her fame is based in large part on her sex appeal to men and a sex tape she was in with a man. Feminist icon she is not.

You're totally right about the show. The weird thing is of course it's mainly women that watch it. I hate making generalizations but we all just love to bring each other down and watch each other be exploited. The harshest critics of women are usually other women.

I'm Surprised I Haven't Been Kicked Off!

Megan Smith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:13:46 -0500

I have gotten notices on TweetDeck that I've reached my what-cha-ma-call-it limit, but then I just switch over to regular Twitter in my web browser.

Thanks for the info.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

Petition site

cutiebootycakes — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:54:33 -0500

Lisa, I am not aware of a petition site but if I come across one I will be sure to post it here.

Megan, twitter will kick you out if you send too many tweets in one hour. I had no idea that I was tweeting that much but I couldn't log on for received the too many tweets message. This has happened to me before but I was leading a twitter party and knew it was a possibility. I suppose it is a safeguard against spam. I turned to facebook to continue my commentary and interaction with my network.

I think everyone should send a letter to BET - the awards show received the highest rating of all awards shows on cable this year. More info on that can be found here:
http://www.blacktalentnews.com/artman/publish/article_2367.shtml

Cutie Booty Cakes

Thank You, Maria

Megan Smith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:47:14 -0500

Gina is doing some great work, and it was such a pleasure to be with a group of bright and enthusiastic internet professionals.

And I look forward to seeing you there next year!

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

A human being has died

Beth Engel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:30:11 -0500

And that's sad, because the death of a person, any person, is always sad. But I can't attach any more significance to the death of a celebrity person than I attach to any other death.

My mame is Beth Engel. I've been running my own online business, Epic Merchandise, where I sell personalized, engraved gifts, since 2003.