End of the month. You know what time it is... #Lineup

The Lineup: August ‘12

What I can’t live without: Olympics.  I realistically watched anywhere from 80-100 hours of Olympic coverage.  I was into every sport possible: Judo, Water Polo, Handball, Foil, Beach Volleyball you name it, I was into it (except for Equestrian, I still don’t get that).  Watching Michael Phelps become the most decorated athlete ever, Usain Bolt doing Usain both things and of course Gabby Douglas left me with lifelong memories.  There are few things more exciting than watching someone be the best in the world at something.  Even when they aren’t the best, as in the case of Oscar Pistorius who qualified for two Olympic events despite having no legs, you can still fuel your inspiration.  And if the events don’t peak your interest, there’s always this. 

Scout's Honor...

Boys will be Boys

When the Boy Scouts of America released a statement that they will continue their policy to deny access to homosexual boys, to no surprise, their continued stance angered millions who are sick and tired of dealing with intolerance towards the gay community.  It upset me as well because it’s disheartening to live in a country where we can still be so cruel to our own.  While I will never agree with discrimination against anyone based on their sexual orientation, after some thought, I now wonder if the people who run the Boy Scouts have a point.

Gabby, Michelle & Jay

#Progress

I finally decided to sit down and give Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire a shot.  Being a television junkie, it was weird for people to hear that I didn’t watch two of the most popular shows.  It wasn’t for a lack of trying.  I watched a few episodes of both when they originally aired.  A few reasons made me stop watching each show but only one was shared between the two…  My Blackness.  Watching the period pieces of Mad Men and Boardwalk, which took place in the 1920’s and 1960’s respectively, once again exposed me to images of stark and unapologetic racism.  Racism has and unfortunately will always be an emotional subject for me and I chose not to volunteer to put myself in a bad mood when I wanted to watch some television.  Since binging on my Netflix and DVR, I’m still trying to get into Don (a bit slow) and I got a bit hooked on Nucky (now waiting for Season 3) but both required a concerted effort to ignore the pain and simply enjoy it as entertainment.

Daddy, why don't I have good hair?

The Natural

It’s not everyday that you expect a movie to completely change how you view the world but Chris Rock made that happen for me a few years ago.  When I sat down on the couch to watch Good Hair, I got up off that couch a different person.  I knew that “black hair” was complex but I didn’t realize that my knowledge to that point was essentially the tip of an iceberg the size of Mt. Everest.  Chris made the movie in response to his 5-year-old daughter asking why she didn’t have “good hair”.  He wanted to make a film that not only educated but also made his little girl feel good about herself.  I was asked if I were to have a daughter, would I let her have a perm?  My answer was and still is a resounding “no”.

Line up like you 'bout to run the 100

The Lineup: July ‘12

What I can’t live without: And of course N-A-S are the letters that spell.  Nas has created his best and most complete album in over a decade.  With production that manages to simultaneously capture the essence of the classic “boom-bap” without sounding dated, Nas was able to comfortably weave in his signature rhymes.  In the past Nas struggled trying to make “current” songs that didn’t fit his style.  It’s one of those albums that remind me why I fell in love with Hip-Hop in the first place.  This is truly a classic and a must have in the collection.

(Related: Cargo shorts.  Pretty much wore them every day of the month.)

Asinine, as-a-ten, as-eleven...

Needle Mover

In 2003, while trying to remain ahead of the curve, ESPN launched Cold Pizza – a two-hour morning television show to give sports fans an alternative to Good Morning America.  It was essentially Sportscenter with couches and coffee.  They recapped the biggest storylines, interviewed athletes and celebrities and featured skits and other comedic segments.  In 2007, ESPN gave Cold Pizza a total makeover.  They moved production to Bristol, CT, started broadcasting in high-definition and changed the name to First Take.  Shortly after, First Take added a debate-style segment called 1^st & 10”.  Throughout the two-hour program, Skip Bayless would debate someone on four separate issues.  These hotly contested debates quickly became the most popular segments on the show; so much that the ESPN created a 30-minute spin off that aired in the afternoon.  Slowly but surely the ratings spike during the 1^st & 10 segments could no longer be ignored.  In 2011, the show's entire format was altered to resemble a two-hour version of 1^st & 10.  There's only one reason for this – people couldn't get enough of Skip.

Lineup... 2012 is halfway over.

The Lineup: June ‘12

What I can’t live without: I don’t like repeating myself but I would be lying to everyone if I said that anything meant more to me in June than the NBA Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Although it was only 5 games, every minute had me glued to the TV and I got to “witness” the “King” win his first ring.  The media hype surrounding this series was almost as entertaining as the games themselves.  I hope my boy is right when he proclaimed that Miami and OKC will be the new Lakers/Celtics...  If we could be so lucky.