BlogHer - music - 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

You make sense, so here's my question

Kim Pearson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:17:49 -0500

What value added can a media property such as VIBE offer? In that new business model, is there a role for writers, editors, photographers, designers? Or is it all mash-ups and user-generated content with an occasional interview or music review thrown in?

KimBlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Relevance

Bill Cammack — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:04:45 -0500

Hey Prof. Kim. :)

Magazines are irrelevant now, due to the sheer amount of time that it takes to produce them. People are Twittering about the BET Awards while they're happening. You know if the censor failed to bleep a curse word about one minute after it occurs. Nobody needs to read about what happened yesterday, last week or last MONTH in a magazine. If they don't get it from Social Media, they're going to get it from the myriad music and gossip blogs all over the net.

Magazines will continue to be competitive with their website versions because they have the content and can provide immediate delivery, like TMZ does every time ANYTHING happens. As far as thinking something up, writing it, editing it, getting it approved, selecting pictures, formatting the page, printing the magazines, assembling the magazines and then delivering them, they can forget about being relevant.

~ Bill
I blog at billcammack.com

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/

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

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.

Lisa, Thank You!

Megan Smith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:40:58 -0500

Lisa, thank you. You'll get an extra hug at BlogHer for that!

I don't know if Renee has a petition site, but I provided the BET addresses in my response to her comment.

Let's see if we can light a fire under 'em.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

Booted From Twitter? I Thought You Were Joking

Megan Smith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:33:59 -0500

I thought you were joking when you said in your email that you were booted from Twitter. Please, tell us what happened in more detail.

As far as Lil' Wayne, I was appalled when I read the description of his performance, but unfortunately, I wasn't surprised.

You can send an email to BET here: contactus@bet.com.

Or here are BET's addresses and phone numbers:

BET Networks
1235 W Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20018-1211
202-608-2000

BET Interactive
General Inquiries
1235 W Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20018-1211
202-608-2000 or 212-258-1000

BTW thanks for the links to Tazz on Facebook and to Womanist Musings. ;-)

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

Yeah, That Whole Supporting "Our People" Thing

Megan Smith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:23:52 -0500

I've got nothing against "supporting our people," but I'll be damned if I sit silently by while some of the clowns of the music industry pretend to represent me. They don't.

If they just went about their business making bad, non-mysogynistic music, I'd say go right ahead. But when they start talking about how they're "the real black people" I've got a problem.

Dude, I'm almost ready to bring back the days when Jesse Jackson "spoke for all black people." Or even better, when Spike Lee was the media-anointed king of "what black people are thinking."

Almost.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

Megan Smith, take a bow

Lisa Stone — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:50:13 -0500

This is one fantastic piece of journalism-meets-commentary. Thanks for your wrap-up.

Renee, I hear you re: letters to BET. Is there a petition site out there that you're using to get the word out? Or do you recommend snail mail?

Best,
Lisa

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

Letters to BET

cutiebootycakes — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:24:17 -0500

I think that you hit the nail on the head when you said that BET really hyped the show as an MJ tribute but it never manifested. Although I was live tweeting and was subsequently booted from twitter, I did not see Lil' Wayne perform. Let me clarify that - I did see him on the screen but my eyes glazed over and I continued to focus on talking with friends on facebook about this travesty of a show.

I had NO idea that he had children on the stage because I did not look up after his appearance on screen and the numerous bleeping made it impossible to know what he was rapping about - the profanity made the performance a fail for me.

However, this morning it has come to my attention that the lyrics were not only filled with explicatives but were of a sexual nature - he had his child and other children on the stage during this performance!

I AM SHOCKED! Here is a link to the lyrics - http://jezebel.com/5303695/bet-awards-recap-lil-wayne-performs-inappropr...

All I can say is I was embarrassed that I watched the show and now I am horrified. I will be writing a letter to express my disgust and hope that more people do too.

Cutie Booty Cakes