My first tweet wondered why Doogie Hauser, MD (he’ll always be that character for me, sorry) was on stage singing when Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were the hosts. “They shoulda let Lenny Kravitz open. He woulda KILLED with those showgirls!” 

With the opening number behind us, Steve and Alec come out, their banter ranging from hysterical to off-color. What was with tying Meryl Streep to Hitler memorabilia? Were they inferring that having all those statuettes at home made her evil? I couldn’t help but feel like the Old Boys were unconsciously expressing something–resentment, frustration, wonder-at how a woman could be the most Oscar(r) decorated actor in history. As my friend, screenwriter Sam Jean @sjean70  noted via Twitter, “I’m tired of them making Meryl Streep the sacrificial lamb.” Amen. She’s earned everything she’s got. 

Streep: Diva is anutha version of a hustla...

And: she looked fabulously relaxed in her plunging ivory gown. I mean the woman is ringside at the Oscars every year and I love her for it! 

But Meryl would not extend her historic winning lead on this night; it was about first-time women nominees breaking ground. Gabourey Sidibe’s tour-de-force performance in ‘Precious’ earned her a nomination alongside the veteran Streep though she had never acted before. Oprah’s acknowledgment of her had Gabby in tears. Gabby had actually won just by being there; by bringing Precious Jones to life. 

Mo’Nique made her sweep complete as she accepted her Best Supporting Actress Oscar(r), invoking the name of Hattie McDaniel, who accepted the same honor in 1939, a first for any Black actor. Usually I bristle at the Academy’s penchant (if we can call it that’ given Black actors so seldom win) for awarding Oscars to African Americans who deliver monstrous or stereotypical portrayals. 

But knowing that Lee Daniels directed Mo’Nique, knowing that she channeled her own experience as a survivor of abuse, knowing that Mary Jones was just as much a victim as a perpetrator and also deserving of compassion–all helped me to distinguish “the performance from the politics” as Mo’Nique so eloquently put it at the podium. (I wait patiently for a Black actor to win in a role that uplifts him or herself or his/her people. I will not, however, hold my breath). 

Another historic win happened as Geoffrey Fletcher won for Best Adapted Screenplay for his searing and tender adaptation of Sapphire’s PUSH. He was so humbled an overwhelmed, Oprah gave him a do-over on her after-Oscars show. His victory was particularly inspiring to me as an author and screenwriter-in-progress. A beautiful testament to how powerful it is when Black people write and drive their own narratives. 

Which brings me to the Kanye moment of the evening: Best Documentary. The Award went to Music by Prudence, directed by a brother, Roger Ross Williams. He’s making his speech, and then up jumps this matronly redhead, interrupting. 

Turnabout: Roger Ross Williams Kanye'd by Elinor Burkett

It was revealed today that the two are now on opposing sides of a lawsuit related to the film. But nonetheless, he was gracious, turning the world’s attention to Prudence, who look mortified for them both from the nosebleed section. Nice to see a Black male director win something, even if it wasn’t Lee Daniels, who I had the pleasure of meeting through ‘Precious’ executive producer and Put Your Dreams First interviewee Lisa Cortes. 

Cortes watching her baby at a screening

Even Sandra Bullock’s moment was a historical one; she has taken the Blind Side to over $250 million in box office receipts as a lead actress–and there were no android or alien co-stars. Her heartfelt speech about her mother’s impact on her life and the equality of all people no matter their background made me want to see her in the movie and judge the story for myself. 

You earned it AND wore them down! Go girl!

I was not mad that she won at all. I enjoyed her immensely in Crash though she only had a few scenes. She’s been working on her craft, and it paid off. No shots, but from the poster it seemed very ‘benevolent white woman saves Black manchild’. I really dug how she dedicated her Best Actress Oscar to “the mommas who take care of the babies no matter where they come from.” I’ll report back on Twitter. 

But the ultimate? The ULTIMATE was Kathryn Bigelow’s combination knockout, winning Best Director and Best Picture for The Hurt Locker in a stunning upset. 

Bigelow: Fly, composed, and loving life after James. See gun show.

I for one love the back story on this. Her wins prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that 2010 is the Year of the Woman in Entertainment. She not only swept both categories, a first for any woman, but she did so in competition with her ex-husband, James Cameron, creator/writer/director of the 3-D juggernaut so big The Last Airbender couldn’t even keep its full name: Avatar. Keep in mind that The Hurt Locker was ‘The Little Iraq War Movie That Could’ until she won the DGA Award (another female first). Then the rumblings began: could the ex-wife beat the ‘king of the world’ come Oscar Night? I was cheering for her on the strength of being able to come out from his shadow and direct her own film. But then, I saw it. And Kathryn’s movie won because at the end of the day it was substance over style, story over simulation. While Avatar was great filmmaking, The Hurt Locker was a great film. And for Barbra Streisand to present the award with “the time has come” was phenomenal. We may never know how hard Streisand has fought to go from talent to creator in this game and stay at the top, but last night, she was glad for some company up there. 

Mo’Nique has been a shero of mine since she bared her soul about the business in my book in 2007. But she was endeared to me forever when, after a promo shoot I co-produced, she taped a birthday message for my mother who was her biggest fan. We shot in May. Mom’s birthday was September 1. I was going to surprise her with it then–until she was diagnosed with cancer in July. I gave her the DVD early to lift her spirits. She watched it and laughed every day until her last, October 11, 2007. 

Mo'mentum, Suga!

So I cheered extra loud when Mo’ won, because I felt like I had; because I was cheering for me and mom too. 

But last night, I found a new shero in Kathryn Bigelow, who one could argue is now Queen of the World–or at least the film world. 

Thank you, history makers. Thank you for giving us non-white, non males tangible proof that our dreams are within reach, whether they include Oscars or not.

Me & Oscar. It's all about visualization.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Honorable mention goes to Jeff Bridges, who is truly a brilliant actor and finally got his props for his role in Crazy Heart. And I have to give it up for the b-boys and girls during that interpretive dance number. Between that and the John Hughes tribute, this child of the ’80s went to bed extra happy!

What did you think of the Oscars? Do you think we’ll see more balanced representation in the recipients going forward? Comment below and let me know.

My Book Comes To Life Thursday at Brooklyn's Greenlight Bookstore

Where else will you find a co-founder or Les Nubians, a radio writer/producer, a new media VP for a major cable network, a stage and voice actor, an indie soul sensation, and marketing maven–all hosted by Fiona Bloom, in such an intimate setting? Exactly-NOWHERE BUT GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE.

We’ll answer your burning career questions. I’ll read exerpts. I’ll sign your book for you, or for whomever you buy it for as a graduation or Mother’s day gift. And I’ll even throw in a drink!

To RSVP for the event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=305052262404

To share the e-flyer via Twitter: http://www.twitpic.com/162z9p

The game was equally exciting. As a die-hard basketball watcher, I was riveted. I had no ‘team’ to root for per se’, so I chose the underdogs, The Saints. The Colts already have a ring, so, why not? As an entertainment exec and advertising writer, I usually watch the game for the halftime show and the ads anyway. (More on that halftime show later).

Which brings me to the advertisements. I tweeted my votes for my hashtags #adFAIL and #adWIN throughout the night. You can check my timeline here once your request is accepted (@putyrdreams1st).

Not big on Twitter? No problem.  Here’s a quick rundown of my favorites and reasons why:

VW: Because of Stevie Wonder.

Snickers: Because of Betty White and Abe Vigoda.

Audi TDI: Green Police. Every town needs them!

Dodge Charger: Great VO and totally unexpected WOW hero payoff of the product.

FloTV ‘Skirt’: way to make guys see why they need one–for when their lady brings them along to shop.

Google: Incredible narrative woven without a word spoken.

Dante’s Inferno: Contrast of seeing war waged in Hell while listening to Bill Withers ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. Brilliant.

A few #adFAIL candidates: Bud Light’s human bridge; Tebow sacking his mom in an anti-abortion ad; Prince of Persia trailer with NO people of color playing Persians (but that’s really another Avatar-sized Hollywood fail).

My winner for #adWIN of the Game may surprise some readers, but yes, it’s the Doritos ‘Slap’ ad. It’s beautifully cast with attractive brown-skinned African Americans who are also solid actors; a shapely woman with a radiant smile, a cool guy with locks, and a cute kindergarten-age boy, set in a well appointed but modest home occupied by the mother and son.

You can watch the spot here.

For those who can’t see it, the guy brings the single mom flowers as he arrives to pick her up for a date. She goes to another room and tells her son to “be nice”; as she exits the guy eyes her legs and behind, with visions of conquest and sheer admiration of her assets visible on his face.

Her son picks up on this and is so upset, he drops his video game controller.  Oblivious, the  guy takes a seat on the couch and reaches for a Dorito in the bowl on the coffee table, making cocky small talk with the kid about beating him in a video game. In an instant, the kid smacks the guy in the face, then gets UP IN dude’s face, and admonishes: “keep yo hands off my momma, and keep yo hands off my Doritos.”

It’s shocking. It’s cute. It’s hilarious.

It’s also touched a nerve with Black men.

A couple tweets in reaction stood out for me:

from on-air personality @ToureX:  “The nasty Black kid protecting his mama was kinda cute but such a gross, silly stereotype. A foul, violent Black boy? Thanks Doritos.”

and @Bos_Naud as a re-tweet from Daily Math  blogger @Combat_Jack: RT @BosNaud: “The black man lost again in that Doritos commercial.”

So I talked to MY Black man about it, www.amluxe.com blogger @tmizy. He was about the same age as the Dorito kid when his mom became a single parent. His opinion was very insightful and much different. He said the spot may have bruised Black men’s egos, but beneath the humor lies a very un-funny “chin-check” about how cavalier Black men can be with women and children. He went further to say: “this is not a sterotypically violent Black boy. This is the reality of children with absentee Black fathers. He’s protecting his mother from another dude he just met who just looked at his mother’s ass. I was that mad as a kid before, but couldn’t do anything about it. The guy didn’t even ASK the kid for the Doritos!”

Both good points. Perhaps this commercial is striking a chord because it airs the dirty laundry of the single male who happens to be Black–and thinks he can roll up with flowers and impress the little man of the house; the same guy who ogles women in front of their sons. The guy had rendered the lil’ homie invisible-or at least a non-issue. Maybe that’s why he got slapped.

When I saw the spot, it came across as more of a comment on the dynamic between people in a situation than one only Black people experience. This is the difference between stereotyping and diverse casting. If the people had been cast as white, I totally buy a 5-6 year old who hits strangers. It’s what MOST kids do. Just like MOST men look at women’s bodies hungrily–especially when they think no one’s noticing. Further, the kid was set off; it wasn’t a random slap.

And listen: I’m a Black woman with a 9 year-old son; I’ve written award-winning advertising for a living for over a decade. I am extremely critical of advertising; I understand all the hidden messaging, nuances, etc. I get why brothers might be mad.

It holds up a mirror-and the reflection causes discomfort. Sure the kid could have mushed his forehead with his finger, or stopped his hand in a close-up beauty shot on the chips-but the ad campaign is “Snack Strong”. Passivity is not what’s called for. It also gets viewers talking about the ad–while never forgetting about the brand or the product. The job of advertising is to provoke: emotion, action, purchasing. #adWIN. Don’t think for a minute that guys haven’t felt like the men in the Dodge Charger spot or the FloTV ’shopping’ spot: Exposed. Confronted.  Because Doritos accomplished and revealed so much in :30 seconds while hawking their bag of chips, they win.

Now that halftime show? Aside from the spectacular lighting direction and sound, The Who was an overall Super Bowl #Fail. As for The Who, my question is The Why? There was no mention of a new album or tour; no commercial for them after the set. I know they’ve sold over 100 million records, but their performance was just okay. Pete Twonsend and his belly were having a wardrobe malfunction all their own; not to mention half the viewers have no idea who The Who are. What you should know is that Pete Townsend is a registered sex offender across the pond–to the point where the arena’s neighbors received flyers disclosing that he’d be in the area on Super Bowl Sunday courtesy of the NFL. Not a good look.

No disrespect to the network or their selection, but I think we’ve paid for NippleGate at this point. I also think Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce’, Wyclef, Coldplay, or their outstanding opening act, Jay-Z would have been stronger choices to snack to at the half.

Congratulations to the underdogs, the Super Bowl 44 Champion New Orleans Saints. They are now on top. Here’s to the same being true for the Crescent City in the very near future. WHODAT!

Though I never met her, I wanted to honor the legendary Roxanna Floyd because I felt like I knew her through her work. She was so committed to excellence and so expert in her craft, she gave you her as her subjects gave you face.

As I read more about her after the news broke, I learned that she passed in her sleep at home in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. I’ve probably run into her at Fort Greene Park, or Carol’s Daughter and never even knew it. For her to transition at 49 has to seem unreal to those closest to her–and the beauty world at large.

Fortunately, Harriette Cole, another woman whose work I respect deeply, eulogized her in a note recently posted on Facebook. Her words confirm that Roxanna was the protypical Sister Swan: working hard–and making it look easy with grace, integrity and passion. Re-posting with sorrow at Ms. Floyd’s transition and condolences to her family and friends.

* A Note From Harriette Cole*

We just lost a great one, Roxanna Floyd, a very special makeup artist whose precision and love sculpted many a brown-skinned face in the world of entertainment. Our company was fortunate enough to have worked with her for the past year and a half as she served as Creative Beauty Director for Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Just a few weeks ago, Ebony magazine had the privilege of enjoying her expert hand when we photographed our March 2010 cover subject, Gabourey Sidibe, the star of Lee Daniels’ movie Precious.
It is with mixed emotion that we celebrate Roxanna’s work so intimately at this moment. A sea of people who knew and loved her have been filling the Internet with memories of working with her, connecting with her, loving her.
Roxanna’s very first national magazine cover was for Ebony magazine that she worked on with Ebony fashion and beauty editor Alfred Fornay. I had the unique privilege of working with Roxanna more than 20 years ago when I worked for Essence. I met her through photographer Dwight Carter who booked her for a shoot I produced for the contemporary living department of the magazine. She quickly moved from working with me to making up more than 30 Black celebrities for some 60 Essence covers over the years.
Roxanna Floyd worked with some of our greatest celebrities and models: Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston, Cynthia Bailey (most recently for the Fashion Fair Cosmetics campaign), Queen Latifah, Iyanla Van Zant, Halle Berry, Phina, Foxy Brown, L.L.Cool J. Sinbad, and Danny Glover, plus many, many more.
She was a genius with a set of makeup brushes. And she appreciated brown skin so much that she learned how to blend colors perfectly to ensure that a woman of any and every skin tone would be flawless before the camera. Roxanna was a perfectionist. Anyone who knew her will tell you that she was the queen of the eyebrow. She spent as much time as it took to sculpt a brow, so much so that you felt like even if you didn’t have anything but foundation and a brow, you were ready for anything!
As I worked with her over many years and countless projects, including multiple books, and several recent Ebony magazine covers, she would always be on set with a magnifying glass, eyeing her subject from a distance to ensure that every detail would translate appropriately for the image being captured. And trust, when something wasn’t perfectly right, she would quietly but clearly pause the shoot to make a much-needed tweak before it could resume.
Roxanna took her craft seriously. More, she quietly and fiercely took her clients and her friends seriously. She was a true confidante. Celebrities loved her so, because she would beat a face but not tell! You know how makeup artists and hairdressers often get all the dirt on a person’s life? Well, if Roxie got it, she kept it to herself. A devout Christian, Roxanna Floyd honored the people in her midst. She felt it was her duty to uplift the people with whom she worked, to seek out their best qualities and nurture them. She did not talk about people. Rare for a person in her field.
Roxanna loved fully and consistently. I feel so fortunate that I knew her for most of my professional life. She was an ace in the hole for any creative project. But more, she was my friend. It was she who did my makeup at my wedding 16 years ago, trekking an hour and a half outside of Manhattan to ensure that I would be perfect on my big day. And it was she who has checked in with me again and again over the years to make sure I was fine—even when she was suffering her own private hardships. She was a class act.
She was a generous soul. The many people who knew and loved her are singing her stories right now through pained tears. We all have memories that make our hearts ache today but that likely will soothe us tomorrow.
Roxanna Floyd is survived by her husband, Rick E. Ramos, her mother, Alberta “Bertha” Floyd, and a world full of beloved friends.
—-
Harriette Cole is the editor in chief of Ebony magazine. Roxanna Floyd was the makeup artist for her books Jumping the Broom, How to Be, and Choosing Truth.

Sasha even gave Beyonce’ a purely normal, human moment: upon accepting the award for Best Female Vocal Performance (her 6^th of the night and a new Grammy® record for any female artist in one year-not that you heard that part after the Taylor win), she thanked her husband with an “I love you”. Pink got the crowd wet (visibly) with an amazing aerial rendition of  “Glitter In The Air” high above the crowd with no net. Pink is fearless.

Speaking of Fearless, Taylor Swift was awarded the Album of the Year Grammy® for her CD of the same name. Now look, I was just as horrified as the rest of the world when Kanye bum-rushed her at the VMAs. But it was on Grammy Night that I realized Beyonce’s attempt to give her a do-over by ceding her VMA acceptance speech time to the ingénue from Nashville was apparently not enough for the Recording Academy.

Every Awards show gives de facto do-over awards for people they’ve wrongfully overlooked or outright snubbed in years past. But this usually happens to right a wrong of their own doing, not of another artist—during another award show! Last Sunday, I witnessed this for the first time. I say this not to take anything away from Taylor Swift. I don’t think she’s the best singer; but she’s a solid songwriter, is actually a musician, and has the total package of country-girl-next door looks. Ordinarily, I’d be elated that a woman—especially one so young, copped 4 Grammys including Album of the Year. But that feeling of elation I had when Lauryn Hill won the same Award was nowhere to be found. I was in complete shock.

My first thought? “Kanye West is responsible for this.” His star power is so potent, he put this girl who was known primarily in country and tween pop circles on the map with his interruption. Taylor really shoulda given dude a shout-out. The media fallout banished him and caused a tsunami of sympathy for Swift; a wave she rode from Saturday Night Live clear up to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

My next thought? How does Taylor Swift win over Lady Gaga, who sold 8 million units in an abysmal market within months, AND had 4 #1 singles on the Billboard Top 200 from one album? Over Beyonce’, who had everyone from babies to drag queens doing the ‘Single Ladies’ video choreography and raked in $36M in tour receipts in a recession? Over The Black Eyed Peas, who topped the charts for 6 months, held the top two slots of the Billboard Top 200 with “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” this summer–with much of Chicago dancing to the latter smash hit on Oprah? And over The Dave Matthews Band, who are…well, The Dave Matthews Band???

Here’s Taylor by the numbers: at the end of 2008, both her albums amounted to 4 million sold. As of 2010, she IS the world’s top-selling digital artist at 24M downloads. No shots, but this makes her the country version of Souljaboy Tellem; a strong singles artist. Album of the Year I’m not buying. For Taylor Swift to win Album of the Year, the most coveted Grammy of the night—against Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce’ and The Dave Matthews Band was truly a gift; I am not sure Taylor will fully understand how much NARAS has her back.

What appeared to me as I examined this year’s Album of the Year nominees more closely was this: this was the most urban-leaning group of nominees I’ve seen in years. The usual shoo-ins, U2, weren’t even nominated for New Line On the Horizon. Kanye aside, I am not surprised that the Recording Academy went country in an ocean of hip-hop, R&B, dance and pop. It shows me we need more young members of diverse backgrounds, so voting will be balanced and wins will reflect a greater respect for the genres we represent.

I now have enough writing and production credits to become a voting member. This year’s telecast was my wake-up call. I will be signing up in plenty pf time to vote in 2011. I challenge all urban/dance/hip-hop/gospel/soul/black rock artists, writers, producers, packaging artists, and liner note writers to join me on the Voting Academy. For more on becoming a member, visit www.grammy.com

Thembisa speaks to Thisis50.com

Thembisa talks to Thisis50.com about her new book in stores now.

She transitioned December 18 at 63 succombing to a long battle with breast cancer. She is one of those Sister Swans who made it look easy on the surface as she fought for her life in private. Much respect!

http://straightfromthea.com/2009/12/21/actress-alaina-reed-hall-aka-rose-from-227-olivia-from-sesame-street-dies-at-63/

#140conf London Nov 17 2009

My name is Thembisa S. Mshaka, I am a wife, mother, sister, auntie, mentor, journalist, hip-hop culture guardian, entertainment industry veteran, small business owner of SEEIT Live, Inc, and most recently, the author of Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business, a career mentorship guide out now for anyone who wants the secrets to industry success. I bring all my roles to Twitter, and I am honored to be here among the illustrious characters at the #140 conference and would like to thank @Jeff Pulver for the invitation—at the recommendation of my good friends @Fiona Bloom of The Bloom Effect and James Andrews of Be Everywhere–@keyinfluencer.

For the last 17 years, I’ve been behind the scenes in the business of star-making. Whether in the form of advertising or television production, I’ve made my living using words to break artists and help build the brands of Lauryn Hill, Beyonce’ and Nas; capture the essence of movements in pithy phrases I coined in the ‘90s like Generation NeXt. I’ve had a lot of contact with real stars and over the course of my career have come to know them when I see them. Working closely with artists like Wyclef Jean and 50 Cent have given me a unique vantage point. I’ve watched them work, stumble, even be cast aside after being shot—and return victorious. The key elements all the people I’ve mentioned possess are a tireless work ethic, a desire to keep improving through experimentation, and a hunger…a hunger to continually deliver their personal best; primarily, they compete with themselves. These are just a few indicators of stardom; others include recognition of oneself as a vessel for expression and creativity; the requisite amount of well-placed swagger when it’s showtime, balanced with the understanding that no matter how successful you become, you are only as good as the people that surround and support you.

Stars with these characteristics shine behind the scenes as well; stardom is not just about who’s on the dais or in front of the camera. Behind-the-scenes stars let their work speak the loudest. They don’t look to multi-platinum plaques or awards to affirm them. Excellence, commitment to craft, a reputation marked by integrity and providing opportunity through service are their hallmarks—myself included. I didn’t become who I am on my own; God, my parents, family, mentors, alma maters and colleagues have helped to shape me; given me the opportunity to let ‘this little light of mine shine’ as the spiritual says. I consider myself, and push myself to be the best at what I do. Please understand I say all of this not out of ego, but to make the point that if I, a relative unknown who has quietly impacted urban music, hip hop industry, and pop culture can be considered a star by my peers, it is entirely possible that some of these famous people–who are famous for simply being on camera–are actually not stars at all. They are celebrities with an expiration date.

I am here this afternoon to talk about stardom because many seem to have it twisted—and I don’t like what the confusion is doing to entertainment—both in terms of content and context. Before we had reality TV stars, the confusion started on the music side. The major labels resisted, feared and felt antagonized by the digital age. This resulted in major revenue losses, because they ceded the power of delivery and pricing of their product to technology players, the biggest being Apple. The hemorrhaging that followed caused artist and executive talent development to suffer in the interest of making money faster. Trouble with that was, the faster money wasn’t faster than the Internet. When the major label systems sacrificed quality control for profit, star production dropped, especially in the urban space. Additionally the Internet toppled the barriers to access that labels once imposed, turning the music business into a 99-cent or pence single proposition. If the music landscape were a movie, its title would be Attack of the One-Hit Wonders.

But none of this changes the fundamental anatomy of a star. Neither celebrity, personality, nor visibility on their own can be defined as stardom. I asked one of the foremost star-makers and star-keepers in music to speak to this in Put Your Dreams First. She is Yvette Noel-Schure, the media specialist behind Beyonce’:

“The tabloid person is a celebrity. The star is someone you don’t see often in magazines. They only do large features or covers, and you only see them when they’re promoting a project. If people who look up to Beyonce’ could freeze-frame her, they’d see a girl who bruised her leg to get the step right, who was supposed to be on vacation but went back to into the studio, who got no sleep but called the morning show. She’ll give fifty interviews for a film and treat interview number fifty like interview number one.”

The way this shows misperception about celebrity versus stardom shows up in entertainment is simple: it fosters a generation of creative people and recording artists impaired by what I call ‘The Microwave Mentality’ in my book. If the Microwave Mentality had a Twitter page, it’s bio would say “gimme 30 seconds, and I’mma be HOT!” It consumes so many of today’s emerging artists that I spent a full chapter on it. Unbeknownst to them, mediocrity is the order of the day, because it’s easier to get away with than ever. It has crippled the music business and polluted the broadcast industry. This mentality is the gateway to temporary celebrity. It is the anti-stardom! It makes anyone think they can just show up and become stars. And what’s worse, any amount of critique you extend to people in the interest of their personal or professional development is usually met with the accusation of “you’re hatin’ on me”.

The immediacy of visibility in today’s world is skewing the perception of what it takes to make stars, be stars, and remain stars. The Internet and social media are key to the skewing of this perception. And while both have enabled real stars to shine through and be discovered when mainstream studios, networks, or labels ignored them, both have also opened the floodgates to the ocean of mediocrity in which real-world stars must now swim. The impact of this is far-reaching and at this point, immeasurable in terms of how it will leave generations of artists and audiences, but I can already see some disturbing signs.

-Digital downloading has changed the way people hear music—and diminished the human appetite for superior sonic quality, both in terms of actual music—and how music sounds.

-Video streaming and uploading have allowed for anything to become programming, giving the false impression that because it CAN be uploaded or shared, it OUGHT to be.

-The blogsphere has given way to a galaxy of voices, fogging up the atmosphere with wannabe journalism, amateur writing, and content jacking that eschews original or critical thought. What is read on blogs is far too easily upheld as some form of gospel instead of the opinion-based material that it is. The crush to break a ‘story’ is compromising the ethics of reporting; blogs have the 24 hour news loops going tabloid just to keep up.

-Social media itself is generating a cult of personality; yesterday’s super-nerds are today’s virtual rock stars. Some deservedly so based on expertise, effort and track record; others purely from their numbers of so-called ‘friends’ or ‘followers’. When did stars get crowned by the number of followers they had? In my business, you rely on the ability to recognize a star long before a fan base does. Are people with fewer but loyal followers any less entertaining, engaging, thought-provoking or important because they have less than a thousand followers? My answer to these questions is no.

Look, I didn’t come all the way from New York to be the wet blanket. I am the last person people who know me would call a ‘hater’. My book is called Put Your Dreams First; I am very much an idealist who operates from a place of what’s possible. Social media is a transformative tool, doing good in ways unseen moment by moment—but you’ll hear plenty about that at this event.

At present, the urban entertainment world seems currently more concerned with using social media as a marketing tool or de-facto A&R device than a vehicle to save lives, heal the world, mentor the next generation, or amplify the voices of the voiceless. I see this shifting, thanks to people like Emmanuel Jal and his Gua-Africa organization, Wyclef Jean and his Yele Haiti foundation, and MC Lyte who created the Hip-Hop Sisters social network. Sure, the hip-hop generation brings the sexy, the flavor, and, to quote @thehotnessgrrrl Nicole Moore, founder of TheHotness.com, “the hotness” in social media. But on the other hand, in my world, yes-men abound—to the detriment of the art and the business, so I’m calling it as I see it. I am a champion of stars, not celebrities—and this goes for the real world as well as the one comprised of ones and zeros.

I want to turn this lens through which we view stardom on ourselves for a moment: As leading minds and participants in now media, it is critical that we look deeper. That we discern social media’s hollow virtual celebs from the actual stars who shine at whatever point they may occupy in the galaxy. It’s so easy to be lazy in the Now Media world. In the same way that most bloggers aren’t journalists—most of today’s rappers aren’t lyricists. Something is missing here: a work ethic. We must recognize that we ARE, in large part, cogs in the now media machine—and stay mindful of Public Enemy’s advice: they said don’t believe the hype. And as Flav’s career path shows us, this advice is more important to remember than ever.

It is even more vital that we examine who we as individuals—and collective communities–are going to be in social media. Are we going to add to the online waste, or be conscious of the environment? Are we going to be additive and contributive, or subtractive? Are we going to be satisfied with shortcuts—or are we going to put in the time it takes to be great? Are we going to be personalities that fade (a one-click wonder)—or be the social media stars who shine through and through, not just on the surface? What will be the legacy of your timeline? I’d like to spend the balance of my time discussing these questions with you. I’m on Twitter @putyrdreams1st– and to Jeff, thanks again for the opportunity to be here. Thanks to all of you for listening.

I acknowledge that the Polanski case was problematic. According to various news reports, he was entrapped by a media-hungry judge who renegged on his jail-time free plea deal and went to the other extreme by sentencing him to decades behind bars. I acknowledge that Polanski has an extraordinarily traumatic life, beginning with surviving the Nazi Holocaust, where he lost his mother–and continuing with the murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate at the hands of supporters of Charles Manson. I further acknowledge that Polanski is an immensely talented fillmmaker with work ranging from the utterly frightening Rosemary’s Baby to the utterly heartbreaking Oscar winner The Pianist.

Listen. We know that the American Justice System rarely shows up as just. It has been infuriating and depressing for me to watch, for example, as white male police officers go free after murdering or abusing black civilians, from Rodney King to Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell. This happens while people of color are thrown in jail at greater proportion and for harsher sentences than their white criminal counterparts. I can even see why Polanski would feel compelled to run from the law for 31 years. He took matters into his own hands, doing what he believed he had to do. He used his judgment.

Roman Polanski

But Polanski also used his judgment the day he drugged Samantha Gailey (now Samantha Geimer), the thirteen year-old girl he also pled guilty to having sex with. Here come the cop-outs: it was Hollywood during the ’70s. Poppin’ queludes was regular behavior. So was having wild, casual sex. Who wouldn’t want to be deemed a star by a hot European director? Hold up: everybody was not drugging minors into having sex with them, because in the United States, it’s against the law. And at last look, Hollywood was and still is in the United States.

So here’s my thesis: the reason Polanski ran for 31 years was not because the system turned on him; and not because the woman he violated ultimately grew to forgive him as an adult. I think that Karma came for him, caught up to him, and showed up in the form of an arrest during a film festival created to honor his work. Karma can be ironic. I find it ironic that this all went down in a country that’s usually so neutral about stuff. Clearly his past wasn’t so offensive that the Swiss refused to host the event; they were happy he was coming–and they have stood firm in keeping him in their custody.

Bottom line: Roman Polanski pled guilty to raping a minor. In my view, Polanski never satisfactorily atoned for or paid for his crime. The circumstances around the case have no bearing on the depth of wrong of the crime itself. There are few that would argue 42 days of psych evaluation compensates for using drugs to commit forcible rape of a 13 year-old girl. Now, if he didn’t actually rape her, but just said he did for the plea deal, then he’s an innocent man and justice was miscarried. But this isn’t The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford. This isn’t a movie. This is Roman Polanski’s problem. And now, he’s being made to face not just the initial crime of rape, but the crime of being a fugitive from justice for half a lifetime.

Now for more troubling stuff. Hollywood’s powerful cannot believe one of their own has been confronted with an arrest for something that even the victim seems to have ‘gotten over’ so to speak. But that’s because they live in a bubble where very often, its elite members get away with doing weird, deviant, and sometimes even criminal things. But America is the quintessential cowboy, and it really sticks in a cowboy’s craw when a criminal runs. That’s a chase not easily given up on. So far, only Hollywood types have signed this petition. Maybe because the Polanski Problem only rings unfair to Hollywood. Maybe their rush to defend Polanski is a function of the Old Boys Club circling ranks; Hollywood’s got a miserable track record with women from roles on screen to roles behind the scenes. Maybe it’s none of those reasons and it comes down to not wanting to face some Karma of their own, because some Hollywood closets are full to bursting with bones they can’t risk the rest of the world knowing about.

Plaxico Burress

I just find it very disturbing. You didn’t see the NFL rallying to defend Michael Vick over dog murder, or over Plaxico shooting himself. The rap world didn’t cry foul when Grammy(r) winner T.I. got arrested for gun charges. These guys committed crimes and are also very talented at what they do. Karma caught up to them. They didn’t run. They faced their consequences.

T.I.

I’m gonna watch the Polanski documentary to see if it challenges or shifts my perception. But I’m also going to keep in mind that like all media, it’s  designed to communicate the perspective of its creators and provoke thought based on what’s presented. In ‘The Polanski Problem Part II’ I will surely blog whatever thoughts are provoked.

My parting questions: have you seen the film? Did it change how you feel about the case or Polanski’s actions? Is Hollywood trippin’ defending Polanski? Would their collective power might be better served to improve the lot of workers or lobby for legislation against piracy?