Get Into It: "Hemlock Grove" & "Luther"

 

I have been spending a lot of time discovering new things via Netflix. Blame the fact that it's the summer and there is little to no new original programming. Either way, it's a win for me. I am watching things I never would have before. First up is the original show from Netflix entitled "Hemlock's Grove." This show is about the supernatural. There are werewolves and vampires. It's a very interesting show. I watched the first season recently. I finished it just in time for season 2, which premieres Friday. The characters are weird and dark and not necessarily good but I like them all. I must warn you that the show is very gory and there is a lot of blood. But, if you can get passed that, you will enjoy it. It's different than other vampire/werewolf movies/shows that I've seen before. I really enjoy the different spin on it. Get into it.

 

 

The second show I discovered is the BBC's "Luther" which stars Idris Elba. I am a total fan of Idris. I've heard about this show for years. But, I never had the BBC to watch it. Along comes Netflix to solve this issue. "Luther" is a cop thriller show centered on the main character John Luther. Luther is a British cop with more than one issue. But, he's a great cop. This show is darker and grimier than other cop shows I watch. I like that about it. The bad thing is that there are only 3 seasons and 14 episodes. The good news is that every episode is full of twists and turns and drama. I loved seeing Idris in this role. He is not playing the lovable bad guy or the heartthrob. He is playing a character that you can easily love or hate, possibly multiple times in one episode. I read that there is a "Luther" movie in the works as well. I would love to see what John Luther does next. This is just a great show that should've been around longer. If you do not have a Netflix account, I don't know what to tell you. Get into it asaptually!!

 



 



 

Get Into It: "House of Cards"

Netflix is well on their way to putting mainstream media out of business. Already scoring a win with the hit with their original programming, I can finally call myself a fan. I've been hearing great things about this relatively new show "House of Cards." I finally sat down to check out episode 1 of the first season. I feel like I am super late getting on this "House of Cards" bus. But, nonetheless, I am on it now. This passed weekend I decided to watch episode one to see if it was worth my time. It was. I am now more than halfway through season one. I cannot get enough of Francis Underwood and the rest of the cast.

"House of Cards" is a political show based in the White House. It deals with relationships, politics, good and bad, right and wrong of everyday people. I love how there are no inherently good or evil characters. Everyone has some interesting point of view. This show is entertaining and exciting. I love the way the stories intertwine. Frank and Claire have the oddest relationship. They are married and are partners in every sense of the word. I like them. They always seem to have each other's back. It's the kind of show that seems to be made for me. I am really enjoying it. You guys show check it out if you haven't already. Netflix is two for two with original series. "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black" are both amazingly written and acted shows. Get into them on NetFlix. 

Let's Talk About: TV Talk Shows

Every fall there are a crop of new talk shows that are ushered in. This season was no different. I was every excited about two returning talk show hosts, Queen Latifah and Arsenio Hall as well as Bethenny Frankel. I figured that Queen and Arsenio's shows would be great because they've done this before. I also thought that Bethenny's show would be rough at first but then find its stride. Out of the three, Queen's show is my favorite. "The Queen Latifah Show" is the clear winner of the freshman crop of shows. I LOVE everything about it from her personality to the guest DJ's all the way down to the Lenny Kravitz designed set. It's just golden. She has always been very relatable to me. She is funny and smart and a people person. I love the informal way she interviews her guests. I really love her show. I hope it sticks around for a while. 

"The Arsenio Hall Show" is back. I still like him. But, I feel like his opening monologues and skits are stuck in the 90's. The best thing about his show are still the performances. I love them. He has always had his finger on the pulse of what's hot and relevant in the music business. That is his saving grace to me. I do not run to watch it every night like I did as a kid. But, I make sure to catch certain interviews like when he had the cast of "The Best Man Holiday" on two nights in a row. And, I've seen some great performances as well. I think he's getting his stride back. It has improved greatly since that first week. One show I do not think that will make it passed this season is "Bethenny." I loved her on "Real Housewives of New York" and her spin-off shows "Bethenny Getting Married" & "Bethenny Ever After." But, her personality does not translate well to a talk show host. She appears stiff and rude and boring. I have only seen it a handful of times but that was enough. I don't care for it. The ratings are dismal as well. I had such high hopes for it. Anyway, hope you guys are supporting the shows you like! 

Get Into It: "Being Mary Jane"

BET is bringing new programming to the screen. The latest show is "Being Mary Jane" starring Gabrielle Union, Omari Hardwick, and Raven Goodwin. It premiered as a movie earlier this week. It will be back as a series in January 2014. Mary Jane Paul is a successful woman, a TV anchor, and the bank for her family. She has it all but not really. She has a gorgeous house, a reat career and a loving family. What she is missing is a love of her own and a family of her own. She has a sick mother, a brother with no ambition but a huge family, a brother attending college and a niece who keeps popping out babies. Everyone depends on her, especially finacially. MJ is a woman on the verge of breaking. I can see it. 

The character of MJ is relatable on so many levels. I know for a fact that a lot of my friends identify with her. And, it has more to do with her being Black. She, like Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope, is a flawed character. I love that the most about her. I can admit that I did not have high hopes for the show. I am admittedly not a fan of Gabrielle Union.  She has been a very limited actress in the past. I put her in the same category as Janet. Neither of them show any emotion or range in their face when acting. So, I pushed that to the side and jumped into the show. 20 minutes into, I was hooked. The movie was really good. I was happy to see the handsomeness that is Omari Hardwick. I am a fan of his. So, the possibility of seeing him on my screen weekly is enough for me to tune in. The ending left me wanting more which was the point. The series will be picking up where the movie left off. I cannot wait to see where this story goes. Get into it, "Being Mary Jane."

Food Network To Paula: Bye Y'all!

Earlier this week, Food Network's darling Paula Deen stepped in it. She is currently being sued by a former employee and the transcripts have been released. You can see them here , all 150 pages of it. Deen insists that she has used the N word on more than one occasion. I didn't even blink any eye at that. It's the instances she uses it that bothered me. This article details the whole Deen ordeal. Also, Twitter had a field day at Deen's expense for the last three days. Searching #PaulaDeenDishes or #PaulaDeenTVShows or #PaulaDeenBestDishes and you are in for a little entertainment. The whole ordeal has taken on a life of it's own. But, let's be clear Deen will be just fine. She's rich. She survive the backlash. 

Food Network took swift action by dropping Deen. I truly don't care about her show since I never watched it. And, I watch a lot of Food Networks. Her show was never one I got into. Her style of cooking is not my fave nor is her overly exagerrated Southern drawl. Scrolling the Food Network Facebook page, I was astounded by white people. They are upset with the network for firing Paula. The more I read, all I could do was shake my head at the ignorance. White people, your racism is showing all over the internet. This is why I laugh when folks claim that we are living in a post racial America because we have a Black President. Post racial? Get the hell on with that nonsense. With both the election and the re-election of President Obama, racism has reared its ugly head. The fact that folks are upset that Deen was fired is amazing. I am NOT surprised that she is a racist. Not one bit. I'm more surprised when people aren't.  I am not even offended that she used the N word. What I am pissed about is the way she used it, the fact that she saw nothing wrong with her actions and that bs apology video. 

Do you see the above photo? That is a direct quote from her. Who in the holy hell thinks this is ok? She wanted slaves for this wedding. She wanted Black people to step and fetch it for her. That is not ok. As a matter of fact it is disgusting. Anyone who thinks this is ok is a horrible person as well. Back then, my people didn't have a choice nor were they paid. They were slaves, owned by white men. They were less than people. Treated worse than animals. That is what truly gets me. So, kudos to Food Network for having the balls to drop an earner. And, to you, Ms. Deen, you can take your backward thinking non-apology and stick it in your butter. Bye y'all!

Let's Talk About: New TV Shows

I really hate getting caught up in new shows. Because you run the risk of them not being around. But, alas, I do it any way. Especially when it comes to scripted shows with Black leads. It is a rare feat. So, I try to support any and all positive Black programming. So, when I heard about the NBC show "Deception" I knew I would give it a chance. "Deception" is a cop murder mystery drama starring Meagan Good and Laz Alonzo. The show premiered 2 weeks ago. The first two episodes have been really interesting. Meagan plays an undercover cop investigating her childhood best friend's apparent murder. Alonso plays an FBI agent who has history with Good. I am intrigued by the possibility of what will happen. The family that this show is centered around is rich, powerful, evil and full of secrets. The ratings have been really good so far. It airs on Monday nights @ 9pm CST on NBC. Check it out if you like drama and cop shows.

BET "Real Husbands of Hollywood" premiered last night. It is the brainchild of comedian/actor Kevin Hart. It started as a skit on the BET Awards last year. I remember that the skits were hilarious. The first episode is an introduction to the characters. The show stars Kevin Hart, Robin Thicke, Nelly, Boris Kodjoe, Duane Martin, Nick Cannon and JB Smoove. I laughed the entire episode. The show is a play in the whole "Real Housewives" franchise. Kevin is silly as hell and extra. And, all of that works well for this show. I didn't have set expectations other than for it to be funny. So, they did exactly that for me. I cannot wait to see the next episode.

BET's "Second Generation Wayans" premiered last night as well. The show is centered on Damien & Craig Wayans & their struggle to get jobs in Hollywood. Both men are nephews of the Wayans that we all know. re are a few familiar faces on this first episode. Marlon Wayans, George Gore, Tatyana Ali, Kevin Hart & Deray Davis all appeared. The show is cute & funny. I like these guys. So I will be watching. I like the direction BET is going with this new programming.

A Scandalous Affair

If you've been following my blog, then you should already know how I feel about "Scandal." I am a proud Gladiator. The show is golden. The acting is superb. The writing immaculate. And the way the scenes unfold on screen always leave me wanting more and more. I am never disappointed. I have watched the most ridiculous conversation week by week spawned from the show. On Twitter and Facebook, people are upset with others who like the Olivia/Fits extramarital affair. These judgy folks have decided that those of us who like the relationship are championing the relationship. As if we aren't intelligent enough to decipher real life and tv. "Oh I can't believe that y'all are so into this relationship. It makes me sick. You guys should be ashamed." Well, excuse the hell out of me for being entertained by a show who's whole premise is to entertain.

Are folks really that dense? Seriously. If you cannot separate what's real from what's fake, you my dear, have a bigger issue. That is a personal problem. I suggest that you work that out within and stop projecting your issues on others. Are people so jaded that they can't differentiate between scripted tv and reality? It's almost as if these people don't understand that I can just simply enjoy the chemistry between Olivia and Fitz. Here's a clue: I can champion this fictitious relationship and be against adultery in real life. What I like to watch, hear or read does not equate my real life. They are all forms of entertainment. That is their only purpose: to entertain me. I watch shows like "Scandal" as a way to get out of my head for a little while. Adultery is wrong in real life. I'm more lenient of it on tv, in books and the like. That doesn't make me a bad person. It does make me a woman who can discern between what's real and what isn't. 

A friend on Facebook posted that "Olivia is going to have women thinking it's cute to sleep with another woman's husband." My response "If a tv character can weld that much power, then said woman has bigger problems." I'm sorry but that's just silly as hell. A scandalous woman is going to be just that because she chooses to be. A Jay-Z song has never prompted me to sell drugs, "50 Shades of Gray" does not make me want to dive into the BDSM lifestyle, nor has "The Wire" made me want to raise a son to be a corner boy. I'm smarter than that. People are who they are. They don't need validation from a fictional tv show. People who feel this way are doing entirely too much in my opinion. I like all of the characters in spite of their actions. I have the right to do so. If that makes me scandalous, I'll be that. Handle ya scandal people!

Teen Angst on TV

Growing up, I always felt different than others. I wasn't necessarily awkward. But I was always acutely aware that I wasn't like everyone else. I was fine with my weirdness. It's who I was. I was the girl you would find inside snuggled up in a chair with a book when it was a gorgeous day outside. I've immersed myself in literature since I was 3. When it came to the shows I watched on tv, I liked shows outside of the norm. It was just my personal taste. I craved dry humor and sarcasm because those were two languages I spoke fluently.

° MTV's "Daria" was my ultimate fave. The main character was exactly me on cartoon form. I loved Daria's sarcastic yet realistic view on life and people. She had the best one liners. She was super sarcastic and very matter of fact. I enjoyed Daria because she was intelligent, funny and real. I loved all the characters on the show but Daria and Jane were my favorites. Oh, and the "Daria" theme song still gives me life. I watched every episode as well as the two movies. This series is on dvd now. I need it in my life.

° "My So-Called Life" was the epitome of teen angst on the screen. Everything about this short lived dramedy was perfect. I identified with Angela so much. It's hard to believe that the show only lasted one season. It introduced me to the gorgeousness that was Jared Leto. His character was an ass but I liked him still. The show touched on so many issues that were outside my relative box. It was great.

° "Boy Meets World" was the comedy angle of teen angst. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Angela were extremely deep and emotion teenagers. They were like little adults. I loved Cory & Topanga's relationship. They were my goal in high school. Mr. Feeny was an amazing character. He went from the old grumpy man next door to the excellent teacher to the wisest guy. I watched every episode. (Sidebar:I'm super stoked about the "Boy Meets World" spinoff "Girl Meets World." I will be watching to see how Cory & Topanga are as parents to daughter Riley.)

I can honestly say that these shows influenced me as a teen. Navigating high school and teenage hood can be hard. I am thankful that my Mom equipped me with right tools to make it through. I was never afraid to stand up for my beliefs. I was never a follower. I've been a leader. If I did something stupid, please believe I spearheaded the idea. I stood up in my weirdness and wrapped myself up in it. I was just me. Just Yokenda. I don't think I experienced too much teen angst in real life. I'm thankful for that. What shows did you watch as a teen? Let's discuss.

"The Wire" Turns Ten

I remember the first time I saw "The Wire." I was instantly hooked from season 1, episode 1. This past Monday marks the ten year reunion of the revolutionary show. Everything about this show captured my attention. From the unique opening song to the cast of characters, "The Wire" was a hit. I had never been to Baltimore but the street/hood life lives in every urban city. Everyone was talking about this new show. It was unlike anything I had ever seen on tv before. MTV interviews a few Hip-Hop artists about the effect the show had on them. The show developed a cult following. Even now ten years later, I can watch all five seasons as if they were new.

My favorite season is a tie between 3 and 4. My least favorite has to be season 2. At the time, I didn't realize what the producers/writers were doing. Season 2 is drastically different from season 1. I can say that years later I can enjoy season 2 as an integral part of "The Wire's" story. Season 3 was the demise of one of my favorite characters, Russell "Stringer" Bell. I was upset for a long time about his death. The genius of this show is that I loved all the characters, good or bad. I rooted for everyone, the cops, the politicians, and the dealers. From Avon Barksdale to Omar Little, from Clay Davis to Thomas Carcetti, from Michael Lee to Snoop, every character on this show represented the good and evil in all of us. No character is 100% anything. I rooted for the good in them as well as disliked the bad in them. But, all of the characters of this show were well thought, 3 dimensional and all too real. These characters reminded me of people I knew. These characters were all of us.



I am not sure if I have a definitive favorite character. I was a fan of Stringer, Avon, Bodie, Michael, Kima, Bubs, McNulty, just to name a few. There was just something redeeming about every character. That's the unique aspect of "The Wire." The characters are written in such a way that you cannot hate them. I may have disliked their actions but not the character. There are two other very important "Characters." They are the city of Baltimore and the soundtrack. The theme song, which was song by different people every season, is classic. If you watched the show, then you know the "you gotta keep the devil down in the hole" lyrics. I loved that the music was current. As you can tell, I am a fan. this show changed my outlook on a lot of things. I've never been into that world but this show gave me insight into something unknown. I loved the way that it heighten my love of politics and journalism. I think I was the intended audience for this particular show. If you're a fan, tell me who's your favorite character, favorite season. If you've never seen it, you should check it out. Now, I feel like watching season 4 again. I cannot believe that this show premiered ten years ago. It does not seem like it was that long ago. Good shows never go out of style.

*One of my favorite seasons has to be the opening of season 4.*

Get Into It: "Smash"

Television networks are over saturated with reality shows. And, I can admit that I can indulge in a few. But, what I love more than anything is a great scripted show with awesome actors. When I find a new one, it makes me very happy. This is what happened the moment I started watching NBC's "Smash." This show is based on a Broadway musical from inception to the stage. I am a musical junkie. I live for "Grease," "Dreamgirls," "Annie," & "Hairspray." So, I was intrigued by this show before it premiered.

The characters are all so different but they work. My favorite characters are Karen Cartwright, the small town girl with the big voice and Ivy, the sexy girl with the voice. These two women are vying for the role of Marilyn. Both are great actress and wonderful singers. But, other than that, they have nothing in common. I like them for totally different reasons. Every other character on the show are interesting for other reasons. The star of the show is the music. It's the thing that makes the show so different. It's just really great.

It comes on Monday nights at 9pm on NBC. It's been on since February. If you haven't seen it, you can catch up on past episodes on NBC.com or OnDemand. It's a really good show. The storyline is interesting. The music is great. The characters are likeable and relatable. For this to be the freshman season of "Smash," I'm excited to see where it goes. Fingers crossed that there is a season two. I will be watching if so. I can't wait to see what the rest of this season has to offer. "Smash" is just simply a hit.