Morning Edition - 9/28/05

Sometimes Funny; 2005 BET Comedy Awards
Last night, BET aired the 2005 BET Comedy Awards with host Steve Harvey at the helm. It appears this comedy award show will always resort to inappropriate and mean-spirited humor to gain its laughs - the opening act was no exception. Mocking a roman-era king, Harvey sentences a President Bush look-alike to a whipping for his handling of the hurricane Katrina disaster, but not before his loyal subjects shout how they feel the offending Bush should be punished. The blurts included, “Crush his nuts!” Granted, a disclaimer stating that some language on the show would be inappropriate for children appeared before the show and before returning from each commercial break, but the show’s language and attempts at humor, were inappropriate to virtually everyone watching – including its host. Harvey returned from some interval comedy skits with a look of disgust. The lowest point of the evening was the “Nigga Wake Up Call Award,” handed-out by the infamous Paul Mooney. Mooney, a controversial comic who stirred-up last year’s award show with the “Coon” award, chose to highlight Diana Ross as one of the nominees for the Nigga Wake Up Call Award. This wouldn’t be so bad, except his dry humor was lost on the audience – including Ross daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, who received an award earlier in the evening for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series. Harvey later berated Mooney and even had the crowd give Ellis Ross a standing ovation. He mentioned that had it been him in her shoes the show would’ve turned into the Source Awards with gunshots fired at Mooney. As usual, the caddy awards show should have encore performances in the near future. For photos of the stars at the awards show go to http://www.bet.com/ComedyAwards.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished

This Is Serious! Do Something!
Over 70 black leaders met with high-level officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after a study released in June estimated that over half of all black men who have sex with other men are HIV positive. The study’s test group included men in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and San Francisco. Since then, black leaders have asked the CDC to step up to the plate and address the issue, but the federal agency has simply dropped the ball on an “entire segment of the population.” In an open letter, chief executive officer of the Black Aids Institute in Los Angeles, Phill Wilson said the statistics showed the disease is nothing short of “genocide” for black men. When black leaders asked CDC director Julie Gerberding would she make a commitment to respond to their recommendations and give them a time frame on a response, Gerberding said, “Where’s the urgency?” Ultimately, the end of the open letter summed it up best, “we must be willing to hold ourselves accountable and responsible for our own survival.” To date, more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. have been infected with HIV since the first cases were reported in June 1981.

Don’t Believe The Hype; Pepsi Hasn’t Dropped Kanye
Shondell Town, a “boycott organizer” e-mailed a group of California professionals saying Pepsi should be boycotted for their release of rapper turned activist Kanye West. Turns out West wasn’t dropped by Pepsi. The e-mail from Town was unfounded – though widely circulated. Per Nicole Bradley, Public Relations Manager for Pepsi North America, West still has his endorsement deal and Pepsi has no plans to drop the artist. She added, “His [Kanye’s] Pepsi commercial is scheduled to air several times this week.”

On Blast
Take responsibility…. We’ve all encountered very difficult situations in life. From the loss of a loved one to the crumbling of a relationship, life has moments when speaking to someone – whether therapist or friend – is beneficial. Getting varied perspectives is important and therapeutic in asserting a positive outlook (perspective) on life. At what point do you feel speaking about an issue is pointless and personal responsibility kicks-in? When should an individual accept reality and be responsible for taking steps to moving on with life? Can a person become stuck in a time-warp of unrealistic helplessness?

Keep passin’ the open windows…