BGBF #25 - Odd Couples

I made it before the New Year came in!!! BGBF Issue #25 - "Odd Couples." While Neil is busying himself trying to save Derrick and Rodney's relationship, he doesn't realize that his own is in jeopardy.

Merry Christmas

A couple days late, but none the less ... a merry greeting from the original gang.

Donald Glover & The Mystery Team

Anybody who's read and loved (like me!) Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys or Encyclopedia Brown as kids will appreciate this movie: Mystery Team. I have always wanted to solve mysteries. Being tied to chairs (keep your minds out of the gutter, pervs!), finding imaginary clues and believing there was a mystery or a haunted house everywhere was part of my childhood. I was a pretty creepy kid, huh? Naw. I resolved some of those issues with my own amateur detective, Rene C. Clayton. A movie, Mystery Team, finally addresses what happens if those people grow up in a real world.
They were kid detectives. Now they're eighteen and still solving child crimes. When challenged to solve a murder, the Team sees an opportunity to prove they're real detectives. A dark world of drugs, crime and swear words await them. "Mystery Team" is the first film by popular internet comedians Derrick Comedy.


Of course, I'm completely fascinated that a black person seems to be playing the lead. Jason Rogers (Donald Glover) - The Master of Disguise is "an expert in trickery, deception, and pulling off fake noses while yelling, 'It was me the whole time!'" Then there's Duncan Wheeler (DC Pierson) - The Boy Genius - whose "powerful brain is a library for both kinds of facts: interesting and wacky." Finally, there's Charlie Day (Dominic Dierks) - The Strongest Kid in Town - "known for his physical strength, bravery and ability to withstand Indian burns." Aubrey Plaza, who plays April on "Park and Recreation," is even in it. These boys with their Encyclopedia Brown detective tactics are thrown into the real world with guns, drugs, violence, sexual situations and some really foul language. It not only looks hysterical, but really, really, really good. There are two versions to the trailer on their website. One is "R-rated." Really. It is. Plus, there's also a Case of the Haunted Hotel, which is also hysterical. Even more interesting is this films limited release. Everywhere I look, there's an opportunity to demand that it come to your area. And, it seems like a push that's helped because a couple more cities have been added to its release. I have demanded it --- you should as well. I wish it would come to DC because I'm dying to see it.

Derrick Comedy is made up mainly of Donald Glover, Dominic Dierks and DC Pierson, all from Mystery Team. There are a bunch of videos on their site, the internet and Youtube. One of the funniest or more infamous is "BroRape" about college boys luring other college boys to their dorm rooms with the promise of X-box fun (which sounds wrong anyway), getting them drunk on beer, then raping them to the supposedly soothing or reassuring tones of "Chill out, dude" or "Come on, bro." (Is this what they're teaching in school these days?!?) I still don't quite know how I feel about this topic, (how bad or slightly turned on -- BRO-rape is wrong in any form.) I'm not quite sure what this means. (Are these supposed to be gay men?) Yet, I won't be exploring it either. "Drunk Baby" has Donald Glover running around in a diaper drinking liquor out of a baby bottle and trying to make out with his male babysitter. And, "Girls Cannot Be Trusted" is just howlingly funny.

Donald Glover
Let's talk about Donald Glover for a moment. I kept catching glimpses of him at the end of "Community," the new NBC show with Chevy Chase, while DVR'ing Amy Poehler's "Parks and Recreation." Donald's hilarious, obviously talented -- I think he's got some decent chops on him (singing "Christmas Troy"), and not to mention ... quite cute. When I started checking out his work with Derrick Comedy, that's when I discovered the internet comedies they've done. And, this boy has range, talent and skill. His comedic timing is off the hook. Plus, he's a also a stand up comedian, actor in "Community" AND a writer for "30 Rock!!!" Go, young brotha!!!!

Alice In Wonderland

"Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll (1865?!?) was always one of my favorite stories. Like "Peter Pan." This fascination may have been egged on by the record book Disney put out in honor of their animated movie (1951) that I listened to as a child. Nostalgia makes everything cool. When I first saw the stills of a slightly different Alice, looking very CW-ish (very young, pretty and hot with shoulder straps, exposed shoulders and crimped hair), I was a little put off. I didn't doubt that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Beetlejuice, etc.) couldn't pull off the zany, off beat and wacky Wonderland, but ... Alice was too hot. And, a teenager!!! What I witnessed in the trailer by Disney was something much more different. I'm in love!!!! It looks like prim and proper Alice has returned to Wonderland. The characters are still zany. The scenery is very ... Wonderland. There's a lot action, cgi magic and real loyalty to the original stories, also incorporating elements of "Through the Looking Glass."

Johnny Depp (who I'll never forget as "Glen" from "A Nightmare on Elm Street") plays the Mad Hatter. He's a gorgeous man who doesn't mind transforming himself for his talent. In the same breath, neither does Helena Bonham Carter ("Room With A View," Harry Potter movies as Bellatrix Lestrange, "Sweeney Todd" --- also with the incredibly talented Johnny), playing the Red Queen. Anne Hathaway (Agent 99 in "Maxwell Smart," "Princess Diaries," etc.) as the White Queen and Matt Lucas (who I worship from "Little Britain") and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice. I don't know much about her, but she looks great. Tim Burton's imagery got me to the drawing table tonight. March 5, 2010, I'll be there.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Mia Wasikowska as "Alice."

Matt Lucas as Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Anne Hathaway as The White Queen

The complete movie posters combined.

Renaissance Fair

Ahhhh, the Renaissance Fair. It's back! Believe it or not, it is SO much fun. I had to come back again this year. Beer, broads, bosoms (a lot), men in tights (yeahhhhh), beer, jousting, performances, magic wands, beer, faeries, wizards, royalty, sharp daggers, goodness and cheer, and ---- you guessed it --- beer! Huzzah!

A brotha with his monkey.

Royalty walking.

My boys hanging out.

Buying honey.

See what happens when your mouth runs too much?

And, you eat too much --- too quickly?

Let the jousting begin!

It gets BRUTAL out there!!!
Believe it or not, it's a tissue box.

My jewels. Yes, mine.

I got what I came for! Now, I need a cloak.

He's had enough.More daggers!!!

Starting out young.

More of my donated jewels.

Yes, the dagger is back.

Cutie jousting host.

Too adorable.

The Princess and The Frog

I'm one of those people who still gets excited about seeing my black people on television, in commercials, ads, movies and even as extras. When I heard that Disney was finally doing a black Princess, I got REALLY excited. Now, The Princess and the Frog is finally here. The trailers look great. And, it looks like it got the full Disney treatment (musical numbers, heterosexual affirmation, i.e., romance, action/adventure, evil darker skinned person and self discovery). Princess Tiana, voiced by Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, Starter Wife and apparently, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency) and Prince Naveen (who isn't hard on the eyes!) voiced by Bruno Campos (Nip/Tuck) play the princess and the frog, respectively. Oprah Winfrey even voices Tiana's mother, Eudora, Terrence Howard (Iron Man) as her father, James, and the incredible, John Goodman (Roseanne) as Big Daddy. It's a new take on the classic tale of the princess and the frog story, but set in New Orleans with an updated cast. I cant' wait!!! Let's help the numbers on the weekend of November 20th and maybe Disney will do more stories with our people.

Black Male Sexuality