BET's Baldwin Hills - Season Two

The DVR in plezWorld has been recording episodes of Season Two of BET's Baldwin Hills since the premier, this weekend provided an opportunity to get caught up with the action.

Several cast members from Season One have returned for Season Two: Ashley (daughter of actress Vanessa Bell Calloway), Moriah (son of former UCLA and NBA great Marques Johnson), Gerren (tall and gorgeous model-in-training who dated Moriah in Season One), Sal (budding rap artist), and Staci (hard working and determined girl with a rough upbringing).

There are new cast members to round out the drama: Lor'Rena (drama queen extraordinaire who appears intent on stealing Moriah's heart from the first episode), Aunjel (Lor'Rena's sister and partner in crime), Johnathan (best friend of Moriah with plans on attending UCLA to play football), Justin (member of a songwriting group, he's a deep and spiritual young man), and Seiko (very pretty girl who appears to have eyes for Justin).

Baldwin Hills is very similar in nature to MTV programs like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and The Hills, except it features African American teenagers of upper-middle class families. Like all kids their age, they divide their time between attending school, playing sports, shopping at high-end outlets, and driving expensive cars. And of course, there is the drama when you combine attractive teenage girls with teenage boys.

Check out the drama on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET.

plez sez: i am probably 30 years removed from the demographic that BET has targeted with Baldwin Hills, so i guess the show falls into the category of "guilty pleasures" for plezWorld. the main storyline for season two (after first 5 episodes) seems to revolve around the unrequited romance that began in season one between Gerren and Moriah, and the determination on the part of new cast member, Lor'rena to steal Moriah's heart. complicating matters is the addition of Moriah's seldom seen "main squeeze" who appears to be a few years older than him.

i like Baldwin Hills for two main reasons: (1) it shows successful Black families in a positive light with clean cut and well-behaved teenage children, and (2) it incorporates parental involvement into the storyline. so far, the parents of Sal (well, his uncle), Staci, Moriah, Gerren, Johnathan, and Ashley have been shown providing guidance and advice to their children. and it appears that most of the kids are on a track to attend college when they get out of high school (with Staci already in college).

this show could very easily have fallen victim to the appeal of thuglife and fast vulnerable women, and it has thankfully not gone there! to be honest, there is very little programming on BET that is worth watching... on second thought, i can't think of anything else to watch on BET except, Baldwin Hills!

Bob Johnson And The Bitch Move

On Sunday, Bob Johnson - founder of Black Entertainment Television and world's first Black billionaire - was in Columbia, South Carolina stumping and opening for Hillary Clinton's campaign (for Black votes). During his comments he once again played the "Bill Clinton Fairy Tale" card by comparing Obama to Sidney Poitier's fictional character in the movie "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Johnson took a turn at explaining away Hillary Clinton's disparaging comments about Martin Luther King leading the move for civil rights. And not to be outdone, he also made a veiled reference - that was later denied - to Obama's past drug use while he was in college.

A few excerpts of the Johnson comments:

"She did not mean to take any credit away from him when she said that it took President Johnson to sign the civil rights legislation he fought for. Dr. King had led a 'moral crusade,'but such crusades have to be written into law. That is the way the legislative process works in this nation and that takes political leadership. That’s all Hillary was saying.”

And to me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood –? and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book –? when they have been involved.”

“That kind of campaign behavior does not resonate with me, for a guy who says, I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’ And I’m thinking, I’m thinking to myself, this ain’t a movie, Sidney. This is real life.”

Bob Johnson "clarified" his alleged reference to Obama's drug use in a statement released by the Clinton campaign:

My comments today were referring to Barack Obama’s time spent as a community organizer, and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect.

When Hillary Clinton was in her twenties she worked to provide protections for abused and battered children and helped ensure that children with disabilities could attend public school.

That results oriented leadership — even as a young person — is the reason I am supporting Hillary Clinton.”

Read the entire article in the New York Times blog section here.

Watch Bob Johnson spend close to 9 minutes crapping on Barack Obama and only 30 seconds introducing Hillary Clinton here.


plez sez: this sucks! bob johnson sucks! if judas had only been so kind to jesus!

the clinton campaign is beginning to show its TRUE COLORS on a daily basis. if you don't believe that ALL of bob johnson's comments were not approved and given a green light before he spoke, then i have a bridge in brooklyn to sell you. it's now obvious that not only will bill & hillary say anything, but they'll try to get other people to say anything to get her elected! the clintons' patronizing manner and assumption that Black America owes them something is amazing... simply amazing!

i truly believe that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion and just about everything is in fair play during an election for president, but pulling in a BLACK celebrity to bash Barack Obama, the FIRST & ONLY Black person to ever seriously contend for the nomination for office of president is - in the words of my buddy Raw Dawg Buffalo - FOUL!

bob johnson's actions were similar to groups like "Mormons Against Romney" or "Women Against Hillary" or "Catholics Against Guiliani" or "Baptists Who Bash Huckabee"! have you ever heard of these groups? well, neither have i!

i'm not asking people to like Barack Obama because he's Black, but - DAMN! - let's give him the benefit of the doubt. if we don't agree with his candidacy, why can't we just keep quiet? if you don't agree with him, why can't you just be "too busy" to attend a rally for hillary, like those republican candidates who snubbed the "Black" debate at morgan state university a few months back?

and while assailing obama for his actions in college, i wonder if bob johnson would like to divulge what actions led his (and my) college fraternity to EXPEL him from the fraternity while he was in college (only to reinstate him a few years ago - after over 30 years - after he made his first billion dollars)?!?

plezWorld is just wondering... because what bob johnson did was a BITCH MOVE! i just call 'em as i see 'em.

Quote of the Day - October 16, 2007

"No flash, no bang."
- Atlanta-based Rapper T.I. upon receipt of machine guns and silencers from his bodyguard while under surveillance by ATF agents.

While Clifford "T.I." Harris should have been preparing for the BET Hip Hop Awards on Saturday evening, he was being booked into jail by ATF agents for purchasing three 9mm machine guns and two 9mm silencers. As a convicted felon (drug trafficking and distribution charges), T.I. is not allowed to own or possess firearms. Special permits are necessary to own semi-automatic weapons, and silencers are illegal.

T.I. has a bond hearing scheduled for Friday, October 19th.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution details the timeline leading to the rapper's arrest on Saturday based on documents released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF):

Oct. 2: Harris' bodyguard asks a licensed gun dealer about buying a machine gun without registering it, as required by law. The dealer reports the incident to ATF agents, who give the dealer the cell phone number of an undercover ATF agent, posing as a machine gun dealer, to pass along to the bodyguard. The bodyguard calls the number within hours.

Oct. 10: Harris arranges for the bodyguard to pick up $12,000 in cash from his bank on Northside Parkway to buy the weapons. Later, the bodyguard meets with the undercover agent at a K-Mart store, 5997 Buford Highway, Doraville. The bodyguard gives the agent $2,200 and a .223-caliber pistol in exchange for three 9mm machine guns and two 9mm silencers. The bodyguard is then arrested. He tells agents he was buying the guns for Harris. He also says he has purchased about 25 firearms over the past 18 months for Harris and others. ATF agents confirm the purchases.

Oct. 11: After agreeing to cooperate with the ATF, the bodyguard makes a monitored phone call to Harris. He tells Harris that he has "everything for you."

Oct. 12: Harris calls his bodyguard and arranges for him to deliver the firearms the next day.

Oct. 13, approx. 12:45 p.m.: Harris calls the bodyguard and asks him to bring the items to a recording studio. At the direction of ATF agents, the bodyguard suggests that they instead meet at a shopping center parking lot at the corner of Piedmont and North avenues in Atlanta.

Oct. 13, 2:22 p.m.: Harris arrives at the parking lot. The bodyguard gets into Harris' vehicle and shows him the machine guns and silencers. When the bodyguard explains the function of one silencer, Harris says, "No flash, no bang." Harris also asks about ammunition, the capacity of the magazine and about "change left over" from the $12,000. Authorities then move in and arrest Harris without incident. A search of his vehicle uncovers three firearms, including one tucked between the driver's seat and the center console.

Oct. 13, 2:40 p.m.: ATF agents begin searching Harris's home in College Park, GA. They find three rifles, two pistols and a revolver in a walk-in closet in his bedroom. Five of the firearms are loaded.

Oct. 15: Harris, held in federal custody over the weekend, makes his first appearance in federal court on two felony charges: possession of unregistered machine guns and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

Read the entire story about rapper T.I.'s rise to fame and fall from grace here.


plez sez: i've seen his pictures on the news the last few days... i don't know any of his music [sic]. this story has little or no interest to me, t.i. can spend the rest of his days rotting in a prison somewhere for all i care, but here is another case of a relatively high-profile, successful(?), Black man in the ATL who is stealing the headlines and basically tarnishing the reputation of Atlanta.

this t.i. (or t.i.p.) character is either the dumbest m.f. in college park OR the ATF agents arrested the wrong guy (and have the wrong guy on surveillance tape talking about the purchase of machine guns and silencers in direct violation of the terms of his release on felony drug charges). i'll stick with him being the dumbest guy around!

WTF! what is a high profile rapper who is up for numerous hip hop awards doing in a drug store parking lot completing the transaction for high powered semi-automatic guns and silencers when he should've been at home polishing the BLING that he'd planned to wear later that night to the awards show?

the level of stupidity of these people never ceases to amaze me. if nothing else, he should get 20 years for being the dumbest muthaf**** in metro Atlanta! and after reading more about him, you will see that he is little more than a two-bit thug who probably relishes the thought of more jail time. i'm saddened, again!

"Read A Book" - The Rap Video

I stumbled across the following video on YouTube.com. It is a somewhat entertaining satire on the state of hip hop today. I edited the description of the video:

This was shot on BET Animation [for] "106 & Park". It is a satirical observation on the current ridiculous, offensive, and embarrassing state of the once noble art of hip hop. The rapper who made the song is also satirizing the current popular rap music which is an embarrassment to everything [that] rap was. While making this social satire, he also provides a positive message [mixed with some] social commentary.

WARNING:
Due to excessive cussin' and gratuitous use of the n-word,
this video is NOT suitable for children.

plez sez: i grappled with myself for several days trying to decide whether to post this video on my blog. i don't want anyone to misconstrue this blog as a supporter of this kind of "art."

i tend to agree with the video description that this is a sad commentary on the state of rap (and hip hop). the question we should ask, "what is more important, the message or the messenger?" should we continue to support and make millionaires out of the kind of "artists" who would write, produce, and distribute something that you wouldn't want your young children to listen to?

back in the day, it was understood that Millie Jackson, Redd Foxx, and Richard Pryor were only for adults. but now, "artists" like Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent enjoy mass distribution and airplay of their "art" no matter how crude and vile the content.

i remember when rap music first enjoyed popularity (late 70's and early 80's): there wasn't an emphasis on "keepin' it real"! there was little or no cursing. believe it or not, but the Video Vixen is a relatively new phenomenon. and the n-word didn't enjoy such popularity in our music.

if it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

damn! i long for the days of rap songs like "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five."

"Baldwin Hills" on BET

BET (Black Entertainment Television) Network recently released a schedule of new original programming. They've released a standard fare of Black-oriented shows, including: "Hell Date," "Take the Cake," "S.O.B," "Hot Ghetto Mess," and something called "Baldwin Hills." It seems that "Baldwin Hills" is a Black-version of MTV's "Laguna Hills."

According to the BET synopsis of the show, "Baldwin Hills' is

"...a reality docu-drama that explores African American teenage life from the point of view of 11 upper-middle class teens. BALDWIN HILLS, also known as the Black Beverly Hills, is an upscale Black neighborhood in Los Angeles where pro athletes, TV and movie stars, doctors, lawyers and engineers live. This reality show will focus on kids who split their time between school, the beach, pool parties, high-end shopping, and driving their parents' (or their) luxury cars. Some of them are smart and hard-working, while some of them are spoiled and overly entitled."

A Los Angeles Times article is quoted,

"The Unusually Entitled Young Person has become a familiar TV trope in recent years, but save for reruns of "The Cosby Show" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," black teens in this income bracket are largely absent. (Another rare exception is MTV's routinely glorious "My Super Sweet 16," which is equal opportunity in its selection and presentation of spoiled young people.)

The innovations of "Baldwin Hills" stop there, though — these kids are, by and large, just as frivolous as their peers down the 405. They attend parties (thrown by Jordan, one of their own), shop at Christian Audigier (except for Staci, who, shops at Rainbow) and inch tentatively toward romantic mismatches."

plez sez: i was SHOCKED! having pretty sworn off BET because of its lack of quality and original programming, i was pleasantly surprised when i watched the first three episodes of "Baldwin Hills" (which airs on Tuesdays at 10:00 pm ET). the kids and their families look and feel very familiar to me, i quickly identified with their lives as middle class Black teens coming of age in America.

after 4 seasons of expletive-filled "College Hill" which began its last season with a bloody brawl between two of the female cast members and suffering through week after week of unintelligible shows where one could not follow the dialogue with all of the bleeped out curse words, i was ready to throw in the towel on ALL of BET's evening programming.

it has been quite refreshing to see some clean cut, attractive, respectful, and ambitious Black kids on television. my wife has already identified which girls (Willie and Gerren) she wants my 5-year old daughter to be like and which boys (Moriah and Gaven) she would want my daughter to date (when she is old enough, of course).

and with the addition of "Run's House," it appears that some good, clean, wholesome family entertainment can finally be found on BET. i'd like to give them kudo's on a job well done!