Category Archives: Catch It!

Wanda Sykes Kicks Off Her New Show on Fox

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On November 7, 2009, comedienne Wanda Sykes kicked off a brand new, late-night talk show which aired on Saturday night. It’s aptly named “The Wanda Sykes Show.” Sykes show replaces the long running “MadTV” and the short-lived talkshow “The Spike Ferestein Show.”

Wanda joins a surge of talkshows that are cropping up to possibly be front runners –or at least contenders– to replace talkshow queen Oprah Winfrey. Whether Ms. Sykes leaves her current role on “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” or just keeps a minimal recurring role, is left to be determined.

Like her predecessor Ellen DeGeneris, Syke’s talkshow comes within a year of her coming out as a lesbian. The show doesn’t avoid the topic, and Ms. Sykes actually refers to her “wife” in her opening skit. Hopefully, this will be a new opportunity for Ms. Syke’s career, and we wish her the best of luck!

Are you interested in being in the studio audience?

You can be a member of “The Wanda Sykes Show”‘s studio audience! Shows are available for the following dates:

  • Fri November 13, 2009 6:00 PM
  • Fri November 20, 2009 6:00 PM
  • Fri November 27, 2009 6:00 PM
  • Fri December 4, 2009 6:00 PM

Go to http://www.ocatv.com/shows/show/274 to apply! (Just click the date of your choice.)

Sesame Street’s 40th Anniversary

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If you’re younger than 45 years old, then PBS perennial “Sesame Street” is probably a huge part of your youth. “Sesame Street” was a huge change from

19th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards

Sesame Street alumna Tatyana Ali

Raul Julia

Sesame Street alumnus Raul Julia

baby-boomer children shows in that: 1) It was set in the inner-city, and not the suburbs; 2) children of every hue were represented; and 3) the neighbors on “Sesame Street” looked like the integrated neighborhoods that most post-integration Americans were looking for.

Desiree Casado

Desiree Casado

"Sesame Street" 40th Anniversary Temporary Street Renaming

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Sonia Manzano

Sesame Workshop's 7th Annual Benefit Gala

Sesame Street alumnus Roscoe Orman

“Sesame Street” was also one of the first children’s shows to feature African American, Puerto Rican, and Caribbean kids and adults in the 1970′s who weren’t junkies, living in violence-plagued communities, or cracking jokes about “honkies.” People on this show actually spoke to one another, shared front stoops, and sang happy songs that anyone was welcomed to sing with them.

So here’s those vanguard neighbors who helped to usher in Elmo, Takalani, and others who brightened our day… especially the ever hopeful and sensitive Big Bird!

T-Boz shares her battle with brain tumor

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90′s girl-group TLC saw success throughout the 90′s and early-00′s, until problems with their management, inter-group disagreements, and the untimely death of Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopez, broke the group apart. TLC tried valiantly to get the group back together with a fleeting UPN reality series called “R U the Girl?” which was supposed to find a replacement for former member Lopez.
UPN's Live Finale of "R U The Girl"


Watch CBS News Videos Online

During the entire career of TLC, very few people –outside of fans– knew of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins’ battle with a life-threatening illness, specifically, Sickle Cell Anemia. She overcame doctors’ predictions which included she would never have a child (she did), and that she wouldn’t live past 30 years old (she’s 39).

It was her most recent battle that stunned morning show viewers. Tionne had been battling a benign, but possibly devastating, brain tumor that could have left her severely impaired.

T-Boz shared her story with Harry Smith on CBS’s Early Show, and how her experience with Sickle Cell Anemia made her more proactive about her health and treatment.

An inspiring story, and one that all women –especially African American women– should hear. When it comes to your health, know who really cares about your recovery, and who’s just treating you like a statistic. Another lesson is to be an informed patient. Watch her interview and find out more on The Early Show.

Eve et al. rocks the VH1 Hip Hop Honors and what not

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The VH1 Hip Hop Honors was taped at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. The show will air on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 (ET). This year’s show is the sixth installment in the one of the most brilliant and creative awards show on cable television.

Chuck D and his wife Gaye Theresa Johnson attend the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City

Hip hop luminaries were out and about, especially since this year’s honors will celebrate the 25th year of Def Jam Records and include many current and previous stars from the label.

Chrisette Michele

Stars scheduled to perform include: Eminem, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Ludacris, DMX, Mary J. Blige, Redman, The Roots, Method Man, ONYX, Public Enemy, Warren G, Kid Rock, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Brett Ratner, Trey Songz, Ja Rule, Gym Class Heroes, and Scarface.

Ashanti attends the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City

The ladies of hip hop were out in their finest, including the first-lady of Ruff Ryders, Eve. This show will sure to be a blast… as usual. And I’m sure no one will be grabbing the mic from anyone at this event.

Recording artist Eve attends the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 23, 2009 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City

Find out more at VH1′s Hip Hop Honors.

The 2009 MTV VMAs take a hard left to crazy town

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Janet Jackson performs onstage during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City

If anyone missed MTV’s Video Music Awards, it was just as squirrely and nutty as 2009 has been, so far. For some reason, people are acting as if the planets are aligned, or if the sky is turning red with blood… and the VMAs didn’t disappoint in the fruitcake department.

Remember When MTV Told Billie Jean to Beat It?

Always a beacon of cutting edge, rock n’ roll antics, the VMAs finally paid tribute to Michael Jackson beyond the past press stunts. (And, lest we forget, they originally refused to play any videos from Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” album
because MTV thought of themselves as a “rock” station, and MJ was just a little too r&b… I guess the “M” in MTV wasn’t for Music.) As usual, Michael’s little sister –and closest sibling– classed up the awards show with an amazing virtual “dance off” from their J-Pop, hyper-stylized duet video “Scream.”

Where Are the 12 Year Old Dancers?

Aside from Russell Brand’s randy and risque hosting, the show took a decidedly Fellini-esque turn into BET territory with their tepid, oddly lip-synched performances –though Pink was good– and straight to the bizarre antics of nominee Kanye “I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob g’goo goo g’joob” West. (I’d show you a video in this section, but MTV –i.e., the Anti-Christ Justice League– only wants you to view the outburst on their site and 500 more times in their reruns.)

Singer Pink performs onstage during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City

Wu-Tang is for the Children

When singer Taylor Swift (no, I have no clue who she is other than hearing her name fifty times on each TMZ show) won a Moon Man for Best Female Video Award, she graciously came on stage to accept her award and to give her speech.

Well, Mr. West pulled an O.D.B (“Wu-Tang is for the children”) and bum

rushed her speech with a rant about how Beyonce “Rump Shaker” Knowles-Z should have won for “Single Ladies.” Um, either way, just why?

Beyonce accepts an award onstage during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City

Poor Taylor stood their stunned and humiliated. Again, lest we forget, this is not Kanye’s first go-round on the crazy carousel, nor his first time taking us with him.

Crazy ass Kanye West takes the microphone from Taylor Swift and speaks onstage during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City

Does no one remember the 2006 MTV Europe Awards when Kanye felt he should’ve won the award because, you know, he spent, “…(O)ver a million dollars”?

Aside from all that, he and Janet actually made the awards show worth watching, and his date was Grace Jones cool sexy. He did 2009 proud…

Catch it 500 more times on MTV: www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/

Crazy ass Singer Kanye West and Amber Rose attend the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City

“Reno!911″ Canceled

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The hilarious improv show “Reno!911″ won’t be returning next season to the Comedy Central Channel!

Series creators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant announced the cancellation to fans via Twitter and Facebook. One of the few comedy shows to make the transition from small screen to big screen (“Reno!911: Miami”), “Reno!911″ has survived through consistent writing, improvisation and a team of comedians who worked seamlessly together on screen.

RENO 911!
Preventing Pregnancy
www.comedycentral.com
Joe Lo Truglio Funny Cop Videos

Comedy fans have been rallying against Comedy Central’s latest programming moves toward reruns, bad comedy movies and frat-boy college humor that can be found on any network or cable station. A Facebook page was created just to protest the cancellation, and can be found at: Save Reno 911.

“Reno!911″ also kept a core cast that included actress and comedian Niecy Nash, and Cedric Yarbrough, another gifted comedian who has doubled his appearances by appearing on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim cartoon, “The Boondocks.”

Fans and cast members were shocked. In a Reno Gazette Journal interview, co-creator Thomas Lennon, who plays the short-shorts wearing Lt. Dangle,  states “I think our ratings have been fine. They were neither like stratospherically great, nor were they bad. . . . So, I can’t really give a reason why, nor did the network give me a reason why we were cancelled.”

Some fans are sending Comedy Central emails and letters protesting the cancellation. If you’d like to voice your opinion, you can contact Comedy Central online, or sign one of the petitions.