Tuesday, December 13, 2005

I haven't

I haven't espoused an opinion on much in some time, so I figured I'd do it today. I hope all is well with you, my friends and loyal readers. There's so much going on in the world today, that I guess I should express how I feel about it.

Richard Pryor



I was forbidden to watch him because of the language that he used. I was once grounded for sneaking to watch 'Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling.' I was in the sixth grade, and I was told specifically not to watch the tape that was at our north Dallas home on Harvest Glen. Of course I watched it, and true to form, I couldn't stop talking about it. My mother, infinitely more intelligent than her eldest son, asked me a few questions, surmised that I'd seen it, and promptly grounded me from television for a month. The grounding was lifted when I astutely remembered to turn off an iron in the laundry room, without being told to do so. But back to Richard...He was always kind of odd looking to me, but always funny. His body moved in a strange way when he was on stage, but his voiced remained consistent. His comedy was so real that it couldn't be measured, because no one before or since has done what he did, so there's nothing to put it up against. He is the architect of how standup is done today, and of concert films. But he was a great writer, intellectual, socially concerned individual, actor, thinker and businessman. It wasn't all about the jokes all the time. My favorite performances of his were in "Jo Jo Dancer", "Bustin' Loose", "The Toy", "The Mack", "Which Way Is Up", and "Harlem Nights." And hopefully, some brilliantly minded exec at a DVD distribution company will come up with the idea to put these and other films of his together to re-release them on DVD in his honor. In 2005, we've lost many greats, and King (of Comedy) Richard, is definitely one of them.

Stanley 'Tookie' Williams



I do not believe in the death penalty. However, I do believe that if a man has been incarcerated, shown that he acknowledges the errors of his ways and does what he can to be a better man, that he should be allowed to live out his days. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the State of California, which he controls, thought differently. There's really nothing to debate about this. Just remember that it's 2005. Why are you surprised?

Kanye West's Grammy Nominations
My prediction for 2006 is that there will begin to be a divide between Kanye West and Jay-Z. Ego, money, power and everything else that goes with all of that, can only live in harmony for so long. Congrats Kanye. I hope you win everything that you can this year. 'Late Registration' is definitely deserving. My vote is with Jigga.

The trial
This thing is a joke. How does the world have the temerity to try this man, when world leaders the world over are responsible for the deaths of people daily?

Fresh Air with Terry Gross
If you don't listen to it, you should. If you do listen to Terry everyday, you already know where I'm coming from. She is on the money and always has great interviews with relevant people about topics that are of the utmost importance. www.npr.org

Goodnight! - Jay-Z

I'm Joe and that's how I see it.

1 Comments:

At Saturday, December 17, 2005 10:39:00 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll provide counter-point to your take on Tookie, although I will stand beside you in opposition to the death penalty. I can applaud the man's attempts to steer children from gang involvement; however, he never admitted to his crimes or took the responsibility for those actions. Instead he chose to blame a conspiracy by the criminal justice system. But a truly redeemed Williams would have said: "This is what happens. This is where you end up when you think the rules do not apply to you; when, because of anger and rage, you kill innocent people. I accept responsibility for what I did. I apologize to the family members. Please understand that I was not a victim of a racist, unfair criminal justice system, and I urge all criminals to first look into the mirror before blaming the police, the judges, the system. I made choices that put me here. The lesson of my life is -- no matter your circumstances, your race, your class -- you are responsible for making proper moral decisions. It is your duty to do so."
(Taken from Larry Elder)
Keep the writing Joe. I'll correct you every now and then.

 

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