Guess what? The Superbowl's this weekend. Yeah, I know right, where did all the time go? Seems like just yesterday I was counting down to 2010.
Truth be told, I wouldn't have known much about this year's Superbowl had it not been for the 'round-the-clock press coverage of . . . the commercials. Yes, ladies and gents, we now live in an era where it seems our media is more fascinated by thirty-second multimillion dollar ads than the most coveted sports match-up in football.
But really, who's playing again?
I kid.
This year's commercials, however, have taken a turn for the serious. Talking E-Trade babies won't be grabbing post-Superbowl headlines. No baby. Instead, bear-guzzling, hot wing binge-eating viewers (<--say that 5 times real fast) will be met by an ad about abortion.
Get the popcorn ready kids!
In keeping with the Sports & Family theme, Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow is set to appear in an anti-abortion ad for Focus On The Family during Superbowl XLIV. Let's be clear from the jump, I purposely didn't acknowledge the phrase "pro-life" as indicated by many descriptions of the ad, because, as one tweeter tweeted this week:
Not to be outdone though, Planned Parenthood, released its own pro-choice video in response to Tebow's ad, featuring former pro football player Sean James and Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner. Check it:
What I appreciate most about Planned Parenthood's video is that it features men speaking out in support of a woman's right to choose, as opposed to what we often see; men speaking for women about choice. I personally wouldn't mind seeing more mainstream solidarity and alliance between women and men on issues concerning reproductive rights.
Nonetheless, I think these ad wars are a testament to the times we live in. Nearly every aspect of our lives is fraught with some sort of cultural and economic power struggle, and the implications that follow. We in the feminism business referred to this frautiness as "the personal is political." (Frautiness: noun/adj. form of fraught. I totally just made that up).
I'll be glued to the TV this weekend to see it all go down. Best of luck to all the competing advertisements during this year's Bowl of Superdome (Superdome: noun/adj. form of super; to the extreme. Just made that one up too). I'm sure all of that money'll be well spent as it contributes to even more egregious forms of consumerism.
It's official. President Barack Obama can now add "Sports Announcer" to his resume. Just days after giving the State of the Union speech and meeting with the GOP House of Representatives, President Obama joined the CBS Broadcast announcing team Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellog for a brief moment to commentate the Georgetown v. Duke match-up.
Supposedly, the crowd went berserk when they found out our President was in attendance. And why not? Whether you like his politics or not, Obama is, indeed a rock star. If I knew President Obama was in the stands watching me play ball, I'd probably go berserk too.
Check out the video below. Peep my favorite part of Obama's commentary as he puts the Ohio State Buckeyes on blast for "bragging" about beating an Ivy League team. (Starts at 2:29)
"First of all, if the Buckeyes are bragging about beating an Ivy League team, that doesn't say much."
This past Sunday kicked off day two of the Knicks Poetry Slam Semi-Finals at Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC.
As expected, the talent showcased on Sunday was incredible. Each participant displayed a unique ability to tell stories through spoken word poetry. Three semi-finalists were chosen to go on to the finals, which will be held at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City on Thursday, February 18th from 7-9pm.
Congratulations to the following participants for advancing to the next round:
Thiahera Nurse, left.
Tanya Ingram, left.
Ishmael Islam, left.
Check out the video of the finalists being announced and some snaps shots from the event below.
Good times!
For more pictures from the event, visit YouthNoise's Flickr page.
Did anyone happen to catch the cover picture on the latest issue of Vanity Fair?
Unless you've been living under an enormous rock for the past few weeks, you're well aware of the recent controversy surrounding Tiger Woods. Woods has admitted to having several extramarital affairs over the last few years. Surprised? Maybe a little. Woods has done a pretty good job maintaining a clean cut image, up until this point. There are also allegations swirling around about drug use (including ecstasy) and homosexual sex.
Shot in 2006, before the controversy, Tiger Woods posed before famed photog Annie Leibovitz. How fitting that now this image, portraying Tiger shirtless wearing a black scully in a seemingly threatening or machismo pose, is gracing the cover of Vanity Fair. Why now? Why this picture?
This past week, I got a chance to peruse some other blogs about the questionable photo. Even though our own blogger James warned of injecting race in this controversial story about infidelity and arguably abuse, ultimately race has taken center stage - (thanks to Vanity Fair further perpetuating racial stereotypes).
Since Tiger crashed his car and women started coming out of the wood works about his sexual exploits, Tiger's image has been irrevocably changed. Gone is the family friendly nice guy; now we have Tiger Woods the sex addicted thug. Unfortunately, Tigers activities fall directly in line with many of the racist understandings of Black male sexuality. Not only did he have sex with numerous women, they all have one thing in common; they are white.
From A Belle In Brooklyn, [The image is] a direct contrast to all the images we’ve ever seen of Mr. Woods, a smiling, Polo-down, khaki-wearing, come-to-life Carlton Banks if ever there was one. And I get that in the last few weeks we’ve seen a new side of Tiger, a contrast to all we ever thought of him. The dichotomy between image and reality that the photo is evoking isn’t lost on me. But this image of Tiger doesn’t reflect what we now know of the billion dollar gentleman who prefers blonds. Tiger might be a whore, a cheat, an infidel, a sex addict, a so-called “Oreo” and a whole lot more. But whoring with white women is not a crime. Thus, Tiger doesn’t deserve to be depicted as one in light of his “recent” scandals.
The media has successfully placed you in the category of the brute/ buck blaxploitation caricature. You are now being promoted as this hyper sexual black male. This picture is a poor attempt at making you look strong. We heard the voice mails, you’re not. Kick Rocks Uncle Tom!
I find it hard to believe that there isn't a method behind Vanity Fair's madness. In fact, the motive most obviously is to stir up controversy in order to sell magazines. But what's the real cost of Vanity Fair and other media invoking the infamous hypersexual black male trope? Who's paying for this?
There is a deep seeded pathology in this country about black male sexuality or, eh-hem, hubris, that simply cannot continue to be exploited in the name of selling controversy. But believe me, this type of mess isn't new. Salt has been pouring over these wounds for centuries. We are far from being a post-racial nation, despite having a biracial President. Until we can have a grown-up conversation about what it actually means to racialize a human being while invoking dangerous stereotypes--athlete or otherwise, then we'll remain just as we are; at a stand-still.
Besides the issue of media perpetuating racial stereotypes as a major factor in this controversy, if we look at this entire story as it has unfolded, we notice an incredibly sad situation. If the allegations of drug use are true, then what we're witnessing is something far more damaging than a casual affair. Tiger Woods is a troubled athlete who has, for whatever reason, permanently scarred those around him, including himself. I'm hoping he and his family can find some sense of peace this year, but if cover stories like the one Vanity Fair released this month is any indication of what's to come, then unfortunately 2010 is going to be another rough year for Woods.
Today, Gary (Mah boo) and I walked a few blocks down to Central Park. We walk to CP everyday, but today was one of the most pleasant outings. I'm continually amazed that there are acres upon acres of greenland in the middle of the largest city in the U.S. Just yesterday the entire ground was covered with white (and yellow) snow. Since it's a brisk 50 degrees in Manhattan today, all of the snow is gone. Just like that. So you can imagine lots of folks, tourists and residents alike, were out and about. I snapped some cell phone pics of people running, skateboarding, walking, and climbing things for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
I see these kids skateboarding all of the time. Glad I finally snapped some pics of them in action.
The little one in the purple shirt is pretty awesome.
See, told you.
Why do runners run in packs?
. . . and bikers don't?
Kids climbing things is always an awesome sight.
Merry Happy Christmas New Years Hanukkah Kwanzaa! - From Gary and me.
