#FreeLucious, Chris Rock is a Bad Guy, Kill Him and Make it Loud and Make It Long and If You Don’t, I’m Tellin’ Momma #Empire #EmpireSeason2 #PremiereWeek

#FreeLucious, Chris Rock is a Bad Guy, Kill Him and Make it Loud and Make It Long and If You Don’t, I’m Tellin’ Momma #Empire #EmpireSeason2 #PremiereWeek

All pictures courtesy of FOX 

Whoa! So. Much. Drama! Empire returned for its season two premiere tonight, bringing more drama than your high school theatre teacher. More drama than that one time you took your cousin’s favorite toy from him because you thought it was going to be a hilarious joke and he ended up breaking your favorite CD/mixtape of romance songs, and you were the one that ended up crying. You know you loved them songs. Your first crush made that tape for you. Now you’re all in your feelings talkin’ about how he overreacted. Yeah, it was that intense.

First off, as if the night couldn’t get any more racially-charged with Black-ish doing their thing over on ABC, these fools right here had Cookie hopping around in a cage dressed in a gorilla costume. I just almost lost everything. They’re lowering her down onto a summer jam-esque stage so she can make some BS speech about how they need to free Lucious because he didn’t kill this guy she knows he clearly did. After that, they ran through a string of cameos that showed everybody from old, crusty Pimp Reverend Al Sharpton and his graying slick-back to a meatier-looking Don Lemon who took time away from his busy schedule of being yelled at in the streets by ticked off black people. To top it all off they brought out the new Aunt May, Marisa Tomei, to play a lesbian hot for Cookie’s drawers. And that was all before the first commercial break. I mean... I just... can’t!

Then we switched into prison where Lucious is apparently enjoying himself. Nothing bad has happened, he looks like he’s eating good and he’s even watching TV, catching the concert given in his honor to get him out of jail. Yet, he still has all the venom and piss of a rich black man behind bars as evidenced by his meeting with a future black attorney general. Not distracted by her overwhelming cleavage, this negro went after her shoes. Cheap shoes? You really had to point out she had on some cheap shoes? That’s a low blow, bruh. Side note: You know those shoes was cheap as hell. They didn’t even show them, so you know she got her some of those two dollar Payless shoes, the same kind Star Jones used to lie and say she wore. She knew dang well she wasn’t wearin’ no Payless shoes, especially when she was heavy. Those shoes be exploded right off her feet the moment she stepped out of the store, leave her leaning sideways like Gumby’s head.

Meanwhile, as Jamal is trying to run Empire Records and his brother is preparing for his album release, Cookie has been secretly plotting to buy a majority stake in the company and lined up a secondary investor in Tomei’s character to fork over 250 million. Why they think Lucious won’t find out, I don’t know. Naturally the deal is undercut by Lucious who makes her a better offer to stay in charge of Empire, thwarting the hostile takeover. He’s still running everything from the inside. This fool should have gone to prison a long time ago.

Then, this business with Frank Gathers, the big dog, the feared one, the man that runs the streets... uh, Chris Rock? Wait, you mean Everybody Hates Chris grew into a gangster? OK. I thought it would be comical that he was supposed to be the big baddy, but you know what... Chris actually... really didn’t convince me I was wrong. Don’t get me wrong, he did a great job but I just couldn’t fear him, not that I can never see him as anything other than a comic, I just couldn’t see him as a non-whiny Pookie (New Jack City reference? Check.) On top of that, he was apparently supposed to be a cannibal. Yeah. Take that in for a minute. Any lip-licking and crazy-eyed stares weren’t just because he was mad, but because he was hungry. Last time I checked, the main thing other than real food that they eat in men’s prisons is—you know what? We don’t even have to go there. I’m sure you can figure it out.

With this fool sending Cookie people’s heads in boxes from prison, something had to be done and Lucious had to do it. And do it he did. After hearing old boy’s daughter rapping at a prison visit, he promised not only to sign her to Empire records but give her his magic stick too. Damn! Will he won’t. Won’t he will? Ha ha ha, I have no idea what the hell that even means, but it’s definitely some words they used tonight.

The Lyon he is, Lucious bothered not with cheap roaring words but beat the cannibal to the first bite, ordering him to be killed “loud... and long” in what had to be the prison cafeteria. Fare-thee-well Frank Gathers. We hardly knew ye.

The takeover failed and the family safe from harm, Jamal acted like a true don (read: new puppet of his father) when he kicked his entire family out of Lucious’ house and his mother gave him the two-slap for good measure. And to top it all off, Empire finally upgraded their Becky wig budget. Thank god, because those raggedy wigs they had been giving her looked like they were Miss Piggy rejects. We all need to hold on to our wigs, because this season looks to be an electrifying and exhilarating ride.

What did you think? Did Empire near wear you out with all the drama tonight? Will you still have enough left to get through Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder tomorrow? Are you still loving the cameos by every black star currently walking the face of the earth? Or do you find yourself already going through withdraws and it’s only been a few hours? Let me know what you think in the comments below. Hint: click where it reads “no comments” to comment.

As always, check out my books on Amazon (if you’re looking for Halloween scares check  #AFuriousWind,  #DARKER, #BrandNewHome or #ThePowerOfTen). For those interested in something a little more dramatic, check out #TheWriter. The final episode of season one of The Writer is coming this Friday. All other 14 episodes are out now available exclusively on Amazon. Join us on Goodreads to talk about books and TV, and subscribe to my blog.

Until next time, Miss Boo Boo Kitty gets an A for effort.

P.S. OK, so that is not a perfect sign-off for every single post I do, but it works here. Man, has that light-skinned Betty’s hoe-ishness reached critical mass yet? But she can still walk around in all that white and pastel colors like she on her way to her virginal wedding night or a Memorial Day barbecue? Girl, stop.

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Dees Niggas Here #Black-ish #PremiereWeek

Dees Niggas Here #Black-ish #PremiereWeek

 Pictures courtesy of ABC

OK, so this is a loaded post. Obviously just from reading the title some of you are probably offended or cringing or doing a whole gaggle of different things reacting to “THE Word” as it is called on tonight’s season premiere of Black-ish (#Black-ish, #DeesNiggas). Personally, I always thought THE Word was Jesus or the Bible or some form of that, as Christians tend to say it is. But apparently the N-word is THE Word that everyone wants to discuss. Let me explain.

First, let me start by saying that I truly don’t like talking or writing (especially in my novels) about race. I have a few written stories and screenplays I haven’t released that focus on the topic. However, I find that for any minority or non-minority continuing to focus on race is what can impede the forward march of more creative writing. Maybe one of the reasons we don’t see as many non-white characters in or leading sci-fi or fantasy books, films and TV is because so few minority writers want to write that stuff (we all know the other reason is because they aren’t given a chance or quality or a million other things). With that said, I continue.

ABC’s Black-ish makes its season premiere tonight at 9:30. Now, there are tons of things going on tonight sense it is premiere week. Seeing as how the networks want to destroy each other, Fox’s Empire will also be returning a half hour earlier (#Empire). So, in order to draw in those ratings and really get “black twitter” talking as was mentioned in an Essence.com interview with Anderson and Barris (one of the show’s creators), they have decided to go for the most click-baity topic they can by addressing the use of the word nigga.

To be fair, this is a topic discussed in Black households, families and communities of both affluent blacks as well as less upwardly-mobile Blacks. But the problem I have with this is that it is a commonly discussed topic. Everybody wants to talk about niggas and whether it’s OK to say it. Even Empire (its competition for the night) had its own controversial dust-up last season when Terrence Howard came out and said that he believed the word should be used on the show to bring authenticity to it. In fear of repeating myself as my book DARKER (#DARKER) has an epic nigga-rant that tries to look at the use of the word from all sides, I don’t want to delve too far into what people should and shouldn’t do and whether they should say it or not.

Why, then, am I a little ticked by this? Mainly because of the way it was advertised. The advertisements were so blatant and in your face with how we should essentially be excited for the use of the word and the crazy and hilarious shenanigans that will follow, it almost felt like they were selling niggas at a market. “Hey, we’re gonna use the word nigga. Some of you out there, especially you niggas (you know who you are *wink *) better get ready to tune in and talk about it, because we’re doin’ it for you.” What?

Look, don’t get me wrong, Black-ish is a nice family show that has its funny moments. Admittedly, I don’t watch it on a regular basis. But what ticks me off is not just the feel of the advertisements that this is somehow edgy when this is literally the oldest conversation that Blacks have been having in this country, but I am a little ticked at how well the marketers thought it’d work. And you know what, they might actually be right. Man, if I just think to mention that my horror novel DARKER uses the N-word in one tightly compact little area in the novel—though it is based off of Stephen King’s Carrie—I’m sure millions of people will flock to Amazon to purchase it just to see how I spell it: er or a -ending.

To sum it up, I’m not necessarily mad at the show for tackling the common conversation, I’m more mad that it is used so flippantly as a ploy to draw in more viewers. But hey, if it works (and we all know how often niggas used to work) so be it.

Note to first time readers: I tend not to use nearly as much cursing or bad words in my posts as I find them generally unnecessary. However, there are curses throughout most of my books. Also, I rarely get this inflammatory about a subject, so just consider that when viewing other posts.

What do you all think? Is the use of the topic justified? Will you be too busy watching Empire or something else to care? Or will you watch and have no effect on you? Let me know what you think in the comments below. Hint: click where it reads “no comments” to comment. I will close the comments after a few weeks or if they get out of hand.

As always, check out my books on Amazon (if you’re looking for Halloween scares check  #AFuriousWind,  #DARKER, #BrandNewHome or #ThePowerOfTen). For those interested in something a little more dramatic, check out #TheWriter. The final episode of season one of The Writer is coming this Friday. All other 14 episodes are out now available exclusively on Amazon. Join us on Goodreads to talk about books and TV, and subscribe to my blog.

Until next time, “Fight the power. You gotta fight the power. Fight the Power. You gotta fight the powers that be!”

P.S. OK, admittedly those were lyrics from a Public Enemy song. No, they weren’t aimed at the producers of the show or any specific people. You’re reading too much into this. Just because I sound angry and look angry, doesn’t mean I am angry!

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NEW Novel: DARKER

#DARKER

OK, it has been a while people. I know, I've been slacking with my posts especially since there have been a lot of good books, movies and TV shows I want to talk about. My computer crashed on my off and on throughout these last two months making my workload twice as heavy because I had to keep re-booting each time. But I wanted to give you all two new posts today starting with my latest full novel DARKER.

Zariah Smith never thought much of herself. With her loathsomely dark skin, unruly kinky hair, and naivete about herself and the world around her, she has become the subject of ire for many of her different-skinned peers, a punching bag for their own sorrows. Thinking she might escape the shame her mother thrust upon her for being so tar-baby black, she goes to college, a place where youths find themselves and futures are discovered. But when the disdain for her color continues, she finds comfort within a most unexpected place: the darkness. Blessed (or cursed) with an unenviable power, it is within the darkness that she finds strength, and others face their darkest fears.

An exploration of modern-day race relations (though, it can be enjoyed by all readers), college hazing and coming-of-age when everyone around you is so unabashedly different, Michael Stephenson welcomes horror fans on a sometimes gruesome path to terror. A homage to Stephen King's first professionally published book Carrie, DARKER invites the reader to follow Zariah on her odyssey to assimilate in a world that seems only to fear what is different, fear what is misunderstood, fear the darkness.

With DARKER (#DARKER) I initially wrote the earliest draft of this book back in college. It didn't dawn on me until later that it shared some similarities with Stephen King's own work. Rather than try to change it drastically into something it didn't want to be, I stripped away certain elements and made it a straight homage. However, it stands on its own as it explores more so how we deal with our fears and desires in this increasingly complicated world. Yet another go into the horror genre, DARKER is filled with gruesome imagery of the product of our darkest fears. What if you couldn't escape your fears? What if you couldn't hide from your shame? What if... you couldn't avoid the darkness? The answers lie within Zariah Smith! 

At a brisk 77,000 words (a quarter longer than King's original Carrie), purchase your digital copy of DARKER here:AMAZON. Get it this week for only #3.49.

As always, follow me on Goodreads, Tweet about the book #DARKER on Twitter, and join the Goodreads group. Until next time.

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