Key and Peele ....Back Again and SMART....words By Raymond Tyler

I like comedy.

PERIOD!

Not Black Comedy, White Comedy, Dark Comedy....to make a long explanation short....there are two kinds of comedy to me....Good and Not Good.

In the same day I can enjoy Sanford and Son, Seinfeld, Monty Python and Eddie Murphy's Raw.

They all have elements of intelligence and revolution.

With that being said, I watched the pilot episode of Key and Peele some years ago and dismissed it as watered down version of Chapelle show.

For most of the time that Dave Chappelle has been off Comedy Central his show has still garnered the highest ratings even with out new shows being produced.

Back to Key and Peele.

There new season premieres ironically the same week as another "black show" Black-ish (on ABC) which has had very mixed reviews with in it's target audience. (No surprise , try and get the millions of Black folk in America to even agree that President Obama is Black or not muslim.)

Whatever short comings I may have found with the pilot episode have gone after seeing the promo clip of preparing a black family for a gay wedding. This skit is one of the most intelligent and truly funny moments I have witnessed in TV history.

The skit captures the essence of a black family (how I believe mine would re act) asking questions about a "gay wedding."

After 3 years I am ready to give Key and Peele another look...with this skit...they earned

 

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Blackish Review of The Pilot Words By Raymond Tyler

Let me say that because of the lack of depth in the current offering of programs that feature people of color I wanted to love and embrace ABC's new comedy Blackish.

First I want to like anything on TV that does not show grown black women acting like mean girls waiting to go to prom and throwing liquor on people.

Second, I believe ABC wants people to love Blackish too. Evidence in the fact that it premiered opposite their (ABC's) number one show Modern Family.

Although catch the follow article where I chronicle ABC's past sins with great black shows they had in the past.

When it comes to the new show Blackish I give the first episode a B minus.

Here's what I thought of Blackish.

• The opening was better than expected. As a person that has been the first black and only black at places like The America Red Cross and Atlantic City Weekly, you always feel like you are under a microscope. And those are the good times. I definitely identified with the scene where Anthony Anderson imagines a safari tour coming down his street and saying his family was "mythological".

• I recognized the different family members. I knew the wife that seems to be concerned with the money rather than the well being of her husband. I recognized the teen ager wanting to play hockey to fit in at school.
• I loved that the wife was not more concerned with the money and the teenager had a master plan behind playing hockey.

Here's what I didn't love.

• Blackish could have a little stronger writing.
• After watching The Middle and The Goldbergs and Modern Family I was about "family-ed" out. That being said, giving the individuals on Blackish some serious character development can really make the show sharp. 5 years ago I would have said they have too many characters on the show but that doesn't seem to hurt The Big Bang Theory on CBS which seems to increase its cast each year. The large cast works on ABC's The Middle (a show I love) and CBS's Big Bang because the characters have defined personality that makes them appealing.
  Right now... Anthony Anderson and Tracey Ellis Ross's characters are written and directed as parents with as much flavor as June and Ward. At times the looked like they were almost reading lines. Now Laurence Fishbourn as the grand dad does bring a lot of personality to his role.
• If Blackish is going to survive among the 3 very strong comedies that ABC has on Wednesday...the show will have to forge its way out of the shadows of those comedies and find a way to shine on its own. I have faith the people involved can do it.

As actors I love Anthony Anderson and Tracey Ellis Ross and I pray that Blackish not only works for them, but will bring some other great black actors to the small screen in guest roles. I also hope that CBS and NBC will join in and green light some shows with Black, latino and Asian casts. There are a lot of stories to tell and deeper realities to show.

WATCH BLACKISH WITH THE FAMILY.

Years ago when I was a kid we watched Good Times and then talked about what we just saw.
Infact with many episodes of Good Times we never stopped talking about those shows.
I hope and pray that Blackish has that kind of impact on people moving forward.

Raymond Tyler is a poet, freelance writer and motivational speaker.

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School Dazed...Why Nicki Minaj SHOULD be Sppeaking at Her Old School Words By Raymond Tyler

Well it seems rap star Nicki Minaj will NOT be going back to school this September.
According to her twitter feed the principal at the high school from which she graduated declined her offer to speak to students.
I usually support teachers and principals but here's my little list on why Nicki should have been allowed to speak (although I would not use her stage name in the any way at a public school.)

1. Everyone should offer to go back to their high school to speak and volunteer.
For whatever reasons we all can't be Nicki Minaj, however we can all go back and help the students that are sitting in the seats we were in.
Her appearance may have inspired not just the students but the parents and her adult fans to get more active in the community and in education.

2.She Could Have Challenged The Students.
Imagine what would have happened if she challenged students to graduate and then offer several opportunities.

She could offer a graduate or graduates opportunities to work on her staff as assistants or summer interns.

She could have offered opportunities to work in the studio or even record.
All types of wonderful chances to work with "Team Nicki" but get that diploma.

Lastly, she could/should have challenged the graduating class of 2014 to come back and create opportunities for students in the future.

In fact you may have some youth that will now never come back.

3. Let The Students Decide.
Many people that have never shaken hands with Nicki Minaj have problems with her.
Granted I would not want her giving my niece life advice but my niece is 6 years old, not 16.
At 16 young people are just learning who they are and deciding what kind of adults they want to be and high school is a dress rehearsal.
Students in high school I found are more perceptive than we give them credit for.
So letting them hear Nicki speak not a bad idea. Letting students on stage to party with Nicki? Terrible idea because teens are impulsive.
Allow the students to hear what Nicki has to say.
The students need to hear from many voices. Our youth are smart enough to decide what parts of a person's life inspires them and what parts do not. That will be true whether the guest speaker is Nicki Minaj , Michelle Obama and any other speaker.

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