I can only think of 2.. The GAME and Everybody Hates Chris.. But soon, they’ll be gone too…

The CW has agreed to renew six of our favorites: Gossip Girl, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, 90210, Smallville and America’s Next Top Model. And that’s an awesome turn of events, to be sure, but it does leave four existing CW series in limbo: Privileged, Reaper, The Game and Everybody Hates Chris. Any or all of those four might still be canceled to make way for the likes of the new Melrose Place and the Gossip Girl spinoff set in 1980s L.A. -Kristin Dos Santos.. E Online

Wendy Raquel Robinson, like Holly Robinson Peete , has managed to carve a nice place and a career in TV for the last decade and I’m sure it hasn’t been luck. But now, the CW, has put that in jeopardy. I am appalled that there isn’t much representation of us on the network.. Mara Brock Akil, Yvette Lee Bowser had the world watching us and hearing our stories. What has happened to our voice in Hollywood?

I personally watch and love the Game! My co-blogger, Karbar, thinks it’s a little too shuck n jive for her which is fine.. We are all entitled to our opinions (that’s why you are reading mine now, right). I am of the opinion that we should support our shows.. and this is no exception. I am hoping the CW will renew it..

However, I would like to point out what is obvious to me:
*If the shows are cancelled, the CW network will be what it set out to be.. CW.. Completely White.. (Yes, I said it!) All the shows there do not represent a demographic and true portrayal of America..

*A little promotion and advertising might bring ratings. I understand you can’t have TV without ratings which brings money. The old adage might be true.. You gotta spend a little to get a lot!

*Stop switching shows time slots so people can remember what time the show is on and actually tune in.. Not just rely on the DVR. That actually can have a huge impact on ratings.

Don’t think I’m hating on the CW because I am not. At least, they are still one of the only networks that still airs any shows that are from an African-American viewpoint which is more than I can say about the other networks!

In the afterglow of the president’s inspirational speech, I’m feeling much better. Yes, I do!

I am watching the president’s speech and feel all good and inspired..  Hence this post..

I must say I am proud of his goals… I’m trying now to do that.. I failed up to my resolution to blog more often and continue practicing my writing.. I’ve been involved.. workstuff, sleep, sick kids, surgery.. yes.. life got in the way..

But I’m back.

and I will stay that way!!

I say all this to say, I’m slacking on the blogging.. No- -slacking is an understatement.. I just plan ol’ quit it… Didn’t even make an effort and that is pathetic. There is no defense. My babysis has kept her blog alive and well.. She is chronicling her life’s ups and downs and I am reading all about it..We started this blogging journey together.. I have not kept up my end of the deal.. To write more. Blog. and discover my voice.. This saddens me and makes me question all of my past actions.

When Hubs, who knows me best,  asked me how my blog was doing , I had to shamefully admit to not posting since November. He, the man I have been through the fire with, called me a quitter. Said that I always quit before I have a chance to fail.

I stood slack jawed and had no words with which to defend myself. That kind of statement demands reflection..which I did then.

Do I really? Am I a quitter? AM I scared of failure? Do I start things with the greatest and earnest intentions and quit before I have a chance to fail?

I’ll admit that I do quit things.. before I someone else tells me I’m not the best. Things come easy for me and I have always been content with 2nd or 3rd with no work.. [Although in my defense, I used to be content with #2 when it meant I could spend more time doing things that I wanted to do (read, hang with friends and ...... ]

And, I have quit almost everything that I liked and was good at .. Piano, Gymnastics, flute. Even trying to design clothes, I never had a chance to start. Ms.Teacher didn’t like my work and I quit.  What does that say about me? Was my blog doomed before it had a chance to BE?

Since it’s the end of 2008 and people the world around are contemplating what the new year will bring,  I will resolve this:

1. To continue this blog. Write. Discover me and MY voice.

2. To not forget to cherish the people who love me, support me, and encourage me.

3. To give thanks for the miracles that I see every day. The smiles (and tears) of my daughters. The gas prices dropping at the pump. My mother strong- for better, for worse, in sickness and in health.

4. To stop writing plots and subplots and developing characters in my head and put them down on paper..

5. To pray for those people who love me, support me and encourage me.

6. I will believe 2009 is my time to shine! I’m just like you,  I gotta fight to stay strong. Just cause it glitters doesn’t mean that it’s golden.. I will Shine while my light’s ON!!!

Actually, I want you all to listen and watch the eloquent Marvin Gaye tell us remind us how important it is that we vote… 30 years later and nothing much has changed.

Whether it’s for the Maverick or The change you can believe in,  Go out and do it.. CHANGE THE WORLD..

WAKE UP, Everybody!

FINALLY!! She’s surfaced.. Thanks to Natasha at ybf.com for this pic. Even though she’s at Williams Sonoma and with Martha Stewart (side-eye!), I’m just happy to see she’s still alive although. She doesn’t look too  happy to have her picture taken. Lauryn, I wish you nothing but peace and love. But, mostly wish you would come back. We need you to save the music industry from mediocrity.

Where am I?

Where are the girls who look like me? Educated, successful, married with children BLACK WOMEN?

Once that thought popped up, I actively thought..

What shows have a black female character as the lead? NONE!

Is there a show with a sistah in the cast? One, Grey’s Anatomy’s Chandra Wilson. Two, Eli Stone.. The DIVATASTICALLY Loretta Devine. And in my nerdiness, I counted Sci-Fi shows too.. Three, Rachel Lutrell of Star-Gate Atlantis. Oh.. and four, Wanda Sykes on The New Adventures of Old Christine.. After that, I could not come up with anyone else. Is Khandi Alexander still on CSI? I think so but I don’t watch so I’m not sure.

I came up with 4 maybe 5..There are very few places that black women are fully realized on TV… However, at the center of  most TV shows targeted for or about women is the ubiquitous (yes, ubiquitous- look it up!) skinny pretty white girl. Lost, Fringe, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice,  the list can go on and on.. We are relegated to the role of sidekick/ BFF or don’t exist at all in whiteworld.

As much as my babysis is a SATC fanatic, this is one of the major problems I had with the show and the reason why I didn’t find myself racing to its movie premiere. In all of NYC, they managed to find one black man ( Blair Underwood) and had to import Jennifer Hudson (from St. Louis) to add a little color.

If we are lucky, we might find a biracial curly haired woman with a little color to represent for us. Hell,  I’ll take it where I can get it. But, Where are my daughters supposed to learn that they can do that too if they don’t have examples? Granted, I teach them that they can be anything they want. But, I would like to see us on any other channel besides the CW and VH-1 ( networks that gave Flavor Flava a TV show don’t count as they don’t exist in my world).

Even on the CW, we are relegated to the Friday nite at 8-9 slot ( where we are most likely to NOT watch ourselves because we are out and about). I love the GAME.. At least, Mara kept it real and threw in the added bonus of the white girl married to the footballer. But, the CW didn’t advertise the switch from Monday to Fridays. so there went a lot of viewers.

Side note:This blog was not meant to be a rant about the list of sins the CW has committed against it’s black female audience (I’m still not over the cancellation of Girlfriends!BTW). However, since it’s the only channel with TV shows that feature a predominately Black cast or actors, I must consistently refer to IT.

Fifteen years ago, we had the Cosby Show, A Different World, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-AIr.  I want to see the black female doctor who can’t find a date/has relationship issues because that is a true fact of life for us, too! Where are our problems with dealing with divorce? and baby daddies?  Would it be too much to ask for us to have a happy black couple on a TV show raising their family? That’s my day to day existence. That’s my reality. I’m sick of seeing us portrayed as loud mouth, confrontational, neck rolling, in-your-face yelling, weave-wearing hoochies. Vh-1 would have you believe that we are all like that. But we aren’t all like that as Ms. Tiffany Pollard aka NY would have you believe.

Has reality TV killed off black TV? hmmmmmm..That’s something I’ll leave you to think on while I tell ABC/CBS/ NBS that if you can spend millions of dollars producing and promoting a TV show centered around the Geico Cavemen, I’m sure you can find a bit of money for a show for and about black folks. And since you don’t know us, ask us what we want to see. We watch TV too.

And if by miracles of miracles we can get a show to air on primetime TV, can we not have our male lead actor dress up like a female?