January 30, 2008

VIBE’s Ultimate 100

Well, it seems I’m one of the aforementioned 100.  I had no idea.  Thanks VIBE!

January 29, 2008

The Wire–Episode 54

Let me begin this entry by saying that Episode 54 is to me, without question, the best episode of The Wire ever done. Significant plot movements, great dialogue, and an ending that shifted the direction of the show. Add to that the fact that the ending was totally unexpected, and you’ve got genius in a one-hour television show.

1. Officer Gravy Boat deserves all that happens to him. Sorry, but I have no love for the frustrated police officer taking his frustration out on civilians. He deserved getting a hand full of feces when he reached for the “ground stash.”

2. I’ve come to pity Burrell. Hey man, Ervin’s right. He does what the man asks him to do and takes the weight every time. He’s good at his job. It’s just that doing the job of police commissioner means something different than most of us would like. He’s a tool in the bureaucracy, and a good one. And, in the end, he fell on his sword again. Watching The Wire reminds me of why I enjoy working for myself, even if that means paying for my own health insurance. That said…

3. …if Burrell had walked behind me with a golf club, I’d have got up and hit him. Sorry, but if I have anything to do with it, I’ll never get hit first again. Dude’s about to get fired, Daniels is going to get his job, and Daniels just sits there while dude holds a golf club? You must be out of your damn mind.

4. Being a decent human being was Joe’s downfall. Everyone knew Joe had one weakness in his operation–his idiot nephew. He’s been an idiot since Season 2, and he’s still an idiot. Joe should have taken him out immediately after Butchie died. He knew dude did it. But, Joe showed respect for family. Can’t knock that. I guess.

5. I hope Marlo burns to death. By that, I mean that I hope he contracts an aggressive, painful strain of The Clap. I may echo this sentiment every update. Marlo, this nigga. His kind. They got to fall. They got to.

6. Noreese is oh so gangsta. I’m not sure how old her character is supposed to be, but the actress that plays Noreese is only 30 years old. You don’t get that gangsta in 30 years, at least not in the above-ground economy. Set Erv in his place and shut him up. Power move on her part.

7. Things won’t end well for Daniels. He’ll be the commish. Noreese has the information on the old days. Prediction–Noreese will be mayor, and Daniels will be powerless under her. Burrell used to own him. Now she does. That’s gotta suck…Daniels got all the way to the top, what he always wanted, and now he can’t do anything with it. If his wife hadn’t already left him, she would have after this disappointment played out.

8. McNulty and Lester keep digging their own graves. Yes, they’ll get caught. No, I don’t know how. However, it’s worth noting how easily they’re doing it. Think about it–the news tells you there’s a serial killer. How do you know that’s true?

9. He’s baaaaaaack! And you know who I mean. Omar ain’t playin’ this go ’round. But before we get to that, let’s get to the best line of the show.

10. “I’m gon’ work them. Sweet Jesus, I’m gon’ work them.” Also of note, Omar knew this was Marlo’s deed. Not sure why he was hunting for Joe so hard, considering. Was it really a secret that Omar was cool with Butchie? I find it interesting that such information was worth so much.

11. Another Clay Davis classic. “I come here to help, but y’all out for blood!” Only Clay. Only Clay.

12. How did Marlo survive that co-op meeting? Seriously–even dope dealers don’t call each other motherfuckers and just let that slide. Same with that punk Cheese tipping over chairs and things. Speaking of which…

13. That was hard up what happened to Hungry Man. Just in time for us to learn who Hungry Man was, he gets taken out. More later.

14. You see buddy from the port living under the bridge? Cold blooded, man.

15. Unlike most, I’m okay with the newsroom scenes. Keep in mind I’ve never worked in a newsroom. However, it’s helpful to see the machinations of them. Some see them as boring, and I agree it’s Simon’s worst writing yet (the characters don’t have the conflicts that make every other character so fascinating), but that’s an essential part of the game.

16. Herc isn’t the one for Marlo to mess with. So we basically can see that Herc is going to mess Marlo up, after the fool laughed about getting Herc fired. Herc’s dumb enough to act on that. Watch. Also of note–Simon always talks about how interesting it would be to see Little Melvin talk to Ed Burns, the cop that arrested him and one of the show’s writers. He says they can interact because of a mutual appreciation for The Game. Clearly, Herc don’t have that. He’s just pissed, even though he’s making more money now than he did then.

17. But Herc has matured. Telling Carver to do what he thinks is right with Offier GB (whom I call Gravy Boat because that haircut ain’t even a chili bowl, it’s a gravy boat) was a big step for him. I almost like the dumbass.

18. Did you see it coming? Really, did you see Chris killing Prop Joe? It was written brilliantly. Why? Because that whole “get a gift, give a gift” exchange makes it clear that Cheese, who signed his death certificate AGAIN, was being asked to give Prop Joe up. But since it ran together with Cheese giving up Butchie, it didn’t look like it was going in that direction. But it was, and it was a breathtaking piece of television. Why?

19. Because Joe had to go. Marlo was right. Joe would be up to his mischief promptly if he just stepped out of the way. Joe signed his death certificate many times. That doesn’t change the fact that Marlo’s a clown, or that Cheese should catch the clap in his nose. But while I hated to see Joe go, I understood. I just hate that they didn’t begin to expand on Joe’s character until he died. The last exchange with Cheese was great, as was him talking about going to high school with Burrell. Somehow, I think that was done for more reasons than to show how small Baltimore is.

Oh yeah, and let’s talk again about what a punk Cheese is. Sold your uncle out, an uncle that gave you a job you were certainly unqualified for, just to get a little territory? Through the nose, Cheese. Through the nose.

20. I’ve finally solved one of The Wire’s great mysteries. Finally, I understand how Omar jacked the shipment in Season 4.

Let’s take a step back. If you recall, Joe was supposed to put Omar in a position to rob Marlo when he re-upped. Well, it turns out that Joe didn’t call Omar when the re-up came. When he did call Omar, it was before the shipment arrived, and Omar didn’t even answer the phone. If he was expecting a re-up, how did he have a crew prepared to get a shipment? Omar could have taken the re-up with his light skinned boo. Wouldn’t have needed the squad of Mexicans.

Slim Charles answered that question when Omar jacked him up. He said, in an attempt to prove Joe had nothing to do with Butchie’s murder, “think about it, if Marlo turns Butchie, then he puts Joe inside your big score.” In other words, Butchie would say that Joe had something to do with it.

It’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s the only way Omar could be prepared the way he was. And don’t forget that Joe turned a profit on the deal. Omar sold the dope back to Joe at 20 on the dollar, then Joe sold it to the co-op for 30. Joe masterminded the entire thing, probably because he saw that as the best way to get Omar out of town (remember Butchie had long suggested retirement to Omar). Well, it worked and, finally, that whole thing makes sense. That was an important detail that Simon had to work out, and he did it so smooth?

How smooth? Some of you probably didn’t even realize there was anything to figure out. Those that did got the answer to the question without the show having to stop to make the point. That was brilliant writing.

Can’t wait for 5, baby!

January 27, 2008

Obama and the Temptations

Sitting in Starbucks getting some work done.  The problem with having a home office is that “home” and “office” are contradictory terms.  When the office feels like home, it can be hard to get work done.  When home feels like the office, you’ve officially messed up a good thing.

Anyway, I’m in here, and they’re playing a typical Starbucks blend of music from the ’60s.  Good mix, actually.  I’m always okay with hearing “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” and “Shake” back-to-back.  Last song was “Ball of Confusion.”

I dig “Ball of Confusion.”  Always have.  It’s not quite song-writing genius–I still contend Whitfield’s masterpiece is, was, and will be “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”–but it does a pretty good job of making the world sound good and messed up.  That was the plan, I figured.

But the Temps say that the only safe place is the Indian reservation.  I’ve never been on a reservation, but I must ask this–is the Indian reservation actually safe?  From what I’ve read, reservations are the original projects.

Moral of the story–even though the song is an extended piece of hyperbole, the world’s actually more jacked up than they thought.  Not a good sign.

Monday, I believe, I’ll have to write something on Obama. I’ll be damned, but it looks like he can win the Democratic nomination, at least.  It reminds me of an Eddie Murphy from “Delirious” where he talks about white people joking around and saying they’re going to vote for Jesse Jackson, then waking up the next morning and saying, “he fucking won?”

Yeah, dude might win.  And I really don’t know what to make of it.

January 26, 2008

I never thought I was anal…

…but I just spent about two minutes listening to the difference between the first seven seconds of an older and a remastered version of Derek and the Dominoes “Bell Bottom Blues” to notice the differences.  In case you’re curious, the remastered version has a lot less air in it.  Sounds kinda like it’s a little breezy near the mic on the older version.

Anyway, I really dig remastered records.  Speaking of which, if you haven’t checked the remastered version of There’s a Riot Goin’ On, I suggest you do.  Great sound, very clear, but doesn’t take away the ominous feel Sly intended.  Great piece of work.

January 25, 2008

This Week on Sports Saturday…

We’ve got Will Leitch from Deadspin, the Big Dummy of the Week, and more of Bo and Shannon’s reckless banter.  Check us out from 9-12 ET tomorrow.

January 23, 2008

So I did a remote broadcast today…

…at Wild Wing Cafe in Raleigh, and I got heckled from the bar.  On a radio show.

The interesting part was that I was heckled for being a State fan, like I really care.  I’m from Houston.

All the same, I figured being heckled on a radio show was fairly noteworthy.  That’s almost like being booed in a movie.

January 22, 2008

Slippin’ on the SSP

You know, I’ve hosted a radio show for three weeks now, and I’ve barely talked about it here.  That’s a problem.

As I said before, you can get to the live feed to the show on the right sidebar of the blog.  My producer, Shannon Penn, and I are having a blast with this.  Last week, we had Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post and ESPN on to talk about Tiger Woods, and we had Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com to talk NFL.  This week, we’ll have Will Leitch from Deadspin on to talk about his new book “God Save the Fan” and plenty more from Shannon and I.

Also, we’ve got a new feature called “The Big Dummy of the Week.”  Pretty self-explanatory and, of course, inspired by the great Fred G. Sanford.  Drop me an e-mail with your suggestions anytime.

So far, we’ve been lucky enough to have great guests and great callers, and Shannon’s doing a great job at keeping his newbie host in line.  I encourage you to check us out.  It’s a good way to pass a Saturday morning if you’ve gotta work.

January 22, 2008

The Wire, Episode 53

The season is ramping up for real, baby. I wish we’d get a full 13 episodes instead of 10, but having 10 means we got lots of action. We’re not going to get some of the fun character development and humorous asides we’ve gotten before, but oh well. This week was the heat.

1. Marlo is the most ignorant man in Baltimore. That’s saying a lot, but that’s the truth. He just doesn’t know. I took particular humor in his belief that the solution to a language barrier is to speak English so hard that the barrier gets broken down. This fool actually wanted to see his money, like them folks in the island have a storage locker just for Marlo Stanfield’s money.

2. Butchie is the most gangster character so far. Worth noting–the two characters that stood the tallest in death were Brandon and Butchie, and they both did so in protection of Omar. Says a lot about Omar, doesn’t it? Trust–Chris and Snoop are gonna wish they’d have let Butchie go easy. Speaking of which…

3. Omar’s on the way! I laughed at the sight of that carton of Newports Omar brought back from the store on whatever island he’s on. I’ll say this, though…if Marlo goes at Omar’s current light-skinnded boopiece, Omar may be in trouble. This one seems to be more Dante than Brandon.

4. Firing Burrell isn’t going to be a good idea. He knows where all the bodies are buried. That’s a man you treat kindly.

5. Cheese has signed his death certificate. That moron can’t possibly think being connected to this Butchie thing is good for him, can he? Omar put a gun to his face. How bout doing the same? Or is the fool just not hard enough to do it for himself? Yeah, the latter sounds about right.

6. Marlo has signed his death certificate. So you want to kill Omar yourself? Ever ask yourself why no one else has pulled that off? Then again, there has yet to be a challenge that Marlo hasn’t taken and succeeded with. We can’t underestimate the dude at any point. I hope someone lights him on fire, though.

7. Don’t think Michael’s cut out for The Game. Dude’s too honorable. Dude also just isn’t mature enough for the responsibility he has. However, the cats on the corner wasn’t gonna mess up his count. Count was gonna be right.

8. Duke and Mike’s trip to Six Flags came with one piece of great humor. Every man can relate to waiting until the girls turn around before dapping each other up. On one hand, you’re congratulating your man on a job well done. On another, you’re thanking your man for not messing things up for everybody with no lame game. If your boy comes out the gate asking a girl her middle name, the party’s over for everybody in many cases. Also–it’s hysterical that those girls thought it was so cool that these dudes had their own place, like a couple of 14 year-old’s living alone isn’t a serious fucking problem.

9. Lester, we hardly knew ye. Freamon’s down with Jimmy’s plan? I guess that lowers the possibility that it’ll get messed up.

10. Daniels beginning could be his end. He’s one step closer to the throne. That’s one step closer to being outed as a thief. Bad news for the man.

11. Nice dolphin, nigga. That’ll never stop being funny.

January 20, 2008

The dilemma…

So, assuming the game is still close, do I want before turning to The Wire at 9?  Or do I just depend on SportsCenter.

Boo you, NFL, for sticking me with this dilemma.  And boo you, again, since this will probably happen on Super Bowl Sunday.

January 17, 2008

Why I’m OK with GolfWeek

It’s pretty simple.  I don’t think anyone can look at this cover and not be taken aback.  At least I don’t think I know anyone that wasn’t startled a bit by the cover.

Now, I’ve been surprised by the number of people that don’t think it was a big deal that a television announcer would say that a black man should be “lynch[ed] in a back alley.”  Maybe people just don’t get it.

Or maybe they do.  The best way to find out–ask some of those defenders what they thought when they saw that noose on the GolfWeek cover.  If they think it’s too much, if they think it’s incendiary, then I wonder how they could think talking about a lynching wasn’t a big deal in the first place.

This is a show and prove moment for a lot of people.  That joke wasn’t a big deal?  Then what’s the big deal about the cover?  Sure, Tilghman said what she did in what I suppose was a stream-of-consciousness moment.  GolfWeek did something premeditated.

However, Tilghman actually thought that was funny.  GolfWeek certainly does not.  That’s enough reason for me to be OK with the latter.

Now, the article itself?  Needed more discussion of the history of lynching and exactly why that image they’ve used is so provocative.  Not a bad cover story, and definitely a good attempt.  Just fell a little bit short, but I don’t blame the magazine for trying.