Of course I’ve never been to Freaknik. Of COURSE not. I didn’t go to an HBCU and it was banned by the time I was of age anyway. What I do know about is Philadelphia’s Greek Picnic. When I was little my dad took me a few times. He’d perch me on his shoulders, showing his first born baby girl off to his frat brothers. But that’s back when it was a picnic; by the time I went again I was in college and it wasn’t about the actual event, it was about people hanging out on South Street and…

Getting his hot little hands on Ntozake Shange’s 1975 play “For Colored Girls who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” was coup of the year for Tyler Perry. Not only will he produce and direct the upcoming film version, the King of Coonery will also write the adaptation of what may be the most important work about black female identity ever. Ask any black woman, especially the artsy/moody/self-aware type, about “For Colored Girls…” and she will respond with a wistful look and fond memories. I was Lady in Blue in a high school production and have told more than one sorry dude “insteada being sorry all the time, try being yourself,” quoting the Lady In Red (but playing it off like I came up with it on my own). This is classic material and now we can expect the intentionally stripped-down aesthetic of Shange’s work to be replaced by style choices that only a closeted gay man could make. Even worse, Perry has announced that he’d like to cast the likes of Oprah, Halle Berry, and Beyonce to tackle the play’s issues, which include love, rape, abortion, and relationships. Beyoncé??? Please pass the Xanax.

Oh, Google Reader, thank you for the share function and for friends like Mr. Smart Guy who share things with me that no one should see, like this “back boobage/diminished glutes,” tragedy posted by Saney Sane over at In Hood Terms. Now I get to share it with you but still pretend that I had nothing to do with spreading it across the Internet. Figuring out this woman’s body is a Rubix Cube level endeavor, so good luck.

I can barely tell if this is a Public Service Announcement or a commercial, but it definitely rubs me the wrong way. Funny or foul?

I find the eye-bugging, neck-rolling, finger-waving black woman thing (halfway through having a weave sewn-in, no less) extremely tired, but there’s something else bugging me about this commercial and I’m not sure what.

My take on this week in black pop culture!

Is this really necessary, T-Pain? I get so irritated at myself for paying this kind of mess any mind because that’s just what this autotunin’ fool wants, but to spend $410k on an almost-humorously redundant chain without it actually being funny? It may be the struggling writer in me talking but that really fries my rice! I haven’t seen anything this ridiculous in a long minute. Hate.

Why is it that almost every black sitcom has had at least one “talent showcase” episode, while such episodes on mainstream sitcoms have been few and far between? I’ve certainly never seen anyone seriously throwing on costumes to sing and dance on Friends or Seinfeld, and the “talent showcase” in black sitcoms certainly pre-dates reality shows like American Idol. Ever since I learned that “coonery” is one of the search terms that has brought people to WWTD, I’ve been thinking a lot about our tendency to cut a rug and start up some showtime just for its own sake. I believe that random talent showcasing on black sitcoms is due to two factors: first, black sitcoms have so many multi-talented performers that can do more than just act.

I was going to come back to the U.S. with this fabulous post about my trip and only then reveal where I’ve been. But after only 24 hours in the Persian Gulf, I have to share something with you all. It’s very calm, warm, and safe here – no problems with customs or any funny looks in the streets. The randomness? Between last night and right now, multiple UPN sitcoms and the movies Juice and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka have come on, all subtitled in Arabic. I can’t even get this much black entertainment at home! We pretty much…

Martin is the show that defined my high-school years and shaped my personal brand of comedy – we often forget how revolutionary it was at the time. Martin Lawrence didn’t mind cussing, he didn’t mind playing stereotypes, and he didn’t mind intense physical comedy, which is what really made Martin a genuine success (until Gina left the show and it jumped the shark). My past Most Memorable Episodes” posts have had 5 episodes each, but for Martin I had a hard time narrowing things down so I had to add a few bonus clips. But the best part is that hundreds of episodes are available on YouTube for your viewing pleasure, so if you have time

I’ve been sick the last few days so am way behind on posting, but I can’t let Halloween pass without at least a little fanfare.

What is all at once, frightening, classic, insulting, horrifying, shameful, hilarious, cooneriffic, woeful, puzzling, prophetic, seasonal, cracktastic, belligerent and black?

Mike Tyson and Bobby Brown sing “The Monster Mash” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, 2005.…

Lately it seems like the Internet has had true coonery in short supply, so I procured my own from an episode of Good Times that came on the other night. Florida, Penny, little Kim Fields, and some random boy are all trapped in a snowstorm and decide to amuse themselves with – you guessed it – dancing! Sorry that the video and audio quality is poor but I’m not exactly set up for this kind of thing.

That lightskinned boy is GETTIN’ IT! And have you guys noticed that’s the same exact dance that Janet still does?…