From BlackAmericaWeb (By Tom Joyner)

On the King Holiday Weekend 2010, I will co-host an MSNBC town hall special about race in America with Chris Matthews. This is also an important story because it will give me and you a rare opportunity to participate in a much needed discussion about whether racism is still a relevant topic now that President Obama has been elected. Of course, we know that it is. But now, we will get a chance to say why.

Having an audience of 8 million mostly African-American people is always a good thing, but it’s a crucial thing when mainstream America wants to know what’s on our minds. Together, we can give provide honest questions and answers about racism in this country.

In the days leading up to January 18th, I will be using this blog, BlackAmericaWeb.com, the Text Tom club, the morning show and all of its resources to garner your opinions about some of the specific topics that will be addressed on the program. Among the topics: Does Post-Racial America Exist? (Yep.) Is Affirmative Action Necessary? (duh!) and Generational Colorblindness. Isn’t it funny that usually the only people who claim they don’t see color always end up telling you they’re married to a black person?

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“‘The Wire’ has done more to enhance our understanding of the systemic urban inequality that constrains the lives of the poor than any published study” said sociology professor William J. Wilson, according to The Harvard Crimson newspaper.

African-American studies chair Professor Evelyn B. Higginbotham said Wilson will teach the new course, in which the show will be used as a case study for poverty in America.

Panelists at the sold-out event encouraged audience members to internalize these harsh realities of the real world problems that the show depicts and actively work to solve them.

“Everything we’re doing to make the world a better place is really for our kids,” said actor Michael K. Williams, who played gay stick-up artist Omar Little on the show. “Our kids are dying in huge numbers. It’s the real wire.”

Sonja Sohn, who played detective Kima Greggs, described the work of Rewired for Change, the non-profit she started with other cast members to help at-risk youth in the areas of Baltimore depicted in “The Wire.” She encouraged audience members to make similar changes in the communities they learn about through “The Wire” and the new Harvard course.

“Become a part of these communities. These circumstances will not change if you do nothing,” Sohn said. “Get it moving. Get it popping. Get up off your butt and do something.”

Panel attendee Sarah V. Chace (class of 1980), who is also a fan of the show, said she already uses “The Wire” as a case study in a class on community leadership she teaches at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. She said she came to the event to hear more about how other academics and the actors view the role of “The Wire” in depicting urban life.

The event was sponsored by the African American Studies Department and two local charitable organizations, the Boston Foundation and the Ella J. Baker House.

This article can be found at www.blackamericaweb.com

That Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers of all time was already undeniable, but after seeing “This Is It,” he will forever be cemented into the rare group of entertainers who are simply part of another stratosphere.

But that’s not the most significant thing viewers are learning from this incredible movie. What is most apparent is that it was Jackson’s commitment to greatness and his acceptance of genius that allowed the singer/songwriter/entertainer/icon to remain famous and beloved for over 40 years.
 
It is a loss beyond human measure that Jackson, who died on June 25, just months before his 51st birthday, was taken from the world before he had the chance to perform the 50 shows in London from which the rehearsals for “This Is It” are drawn. Watching the show in its raw, incomplete form is still far more compelling than many current artists’ fully realized shows. But what remains after the last note had been sung, Jackson fades from the screen and the credits have rolled is the insight into his preparation and craftsmanship, as well as the recognition that so few have that same dedication.

Thin, with his face ruined by multiple plastic surgeries, his color light years away from the chocolate-coated child he once was, Jackson’s authentic spirit still resided within the cosmetically altered man. In “This Is It,” he presents a much stronger, more confident side than the world may have seen before as he directs his dancers, band, choreographer and guitar player with both humility and – as he himself says – “Love, L-O-V-E.” One of the most compelling moments in the movie is the scene where he is working with a live-action and film sequence that requires him to detect a cue while he’s looking away from the person who would signal him. When he’s asked how he will know when the cue comes, he says dismissively, “I’ll feel it. I’ll feel it.” And you can believe that after a lifetime of performing, singing, writing, dancing and interacting with audiences, he’ll do just that.

Despite our invasive, YouTubed, blog-happy world, most of us are not able to see the actual work that goes into crafting a show or creating a musical performance. As someone who has worked in the music business for almost two decades, I have been fortunate enough to have had that opportunity many times. I have been in recording studios, rehearsal studios, behind the scenes and backstage at many an award show and live concert. I’ve always marveled at the way things come together painstakingly, piece by piece. The nuances of a recording or live performance before it is shaped into the finished product are endlessly fascinating. As you see in “This Is It,” when Jackson directs his bandleader on a tempo for one of his hits, telling him to “let it simmer,” it is proof that the most subtle adjustments that can make a huge difference. What those who buy the records, attend the concerts and even read the blogs see is the finished product, with all those adjustments already made.

Even though TV shows, blog posts and magazine articles promise fans a look “behind the scenes,” most of the time, those scenarios are controlled and directed by the artist and the record label. Truthfully, given his attention to detail, if Jackson was still alive, “This Is It” would have probably never been made – or certainly not in the same way. What fans generally see – and what many artists want them to see – is the glamour, not the time spent in grimy rehearsal studios or cold, …..

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By: Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Since his debut in 1992, the multitalented singer/songwriter/musician has created some of the most memorable love songs in the R&B genre. From “Anytime” to “Love of My Life” to “Back At One,” he’s gotten more than few folks married and is probably responsible for a whole lot of kids being born.

McKnight’s syndicated radio show can be heard in 47 markets, and recently he expanded his repertoire to include “The Brian McKnight Show,” also in syndication. But his fans have nothing to fear, as music remains his main gig. His new CD, “Evolution of a Man,” comes out on Oct. 27, and you can listen to his first single, “What I’m Waiting For,” right here.

Via some of his interviews over the years, here’s what he’s had to say on a few things like life, love and of course, music.

ON PERFORMING

“Performing live is fruition that the songs I have written have reached the audience because until then I don’t really know. Unfortunately, I can’t be there when they take the shrink wrap off CDs and see their reaction when they listen to it. You know people have bought it, you see Soundscan on Tuesday. But you get to the show, and you play that new song, and it’s not necessarily the single, and they get it. Man, there’s no feeling like that.”

- ThaBiz.com (2006)

ON GENRES

“I don’t think they’re very different, Country and R&B. The people think they are. The way that Gary [LeVox of Rascal Flatts] sings, he’s probably the most soulful white boy around. The problem with music today is that there’s so many categories. When I was growing up, music was just music. You could hear all kinds of music on the same station.”

- About.com (2006)

ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

“There are a lot of factors that have made music where it is today – the artists have nothing to do with it. It’s unfortunate, but in a lot of ways, the evolution of hip-hop – I don’t want to say it’s killed the R&B singer, but it has, to a certain extent.

“It’s funny, you can have a successful hip-hop artist almost into his 40’s, and he’s still considered hip. As an R&B singer, if you are in your late 20s, or early 30s, you are automatically adult, no matter what. No matter how much talent you got – talent has kind of gone out the window, as far as really being able to push people’s buttons and touch them emotionally. Just like everything in life, because of the internet and the technology, everything is ‘right now.’ Translate that into the music industry, where there are so many factors, which being talented is probably one of the last things on the list … It wasn’t that way when I first came out. I truly believe that if I was 19 and trying to do this now, I probably wouldn’t make it. I play, I sing, I don’t do all the dancing around, I haven’t stabbed anybody, or shot anybody, and I actually sound like my record live.”

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