50 Cent sells his skin for money

You might have heard that 50 Cent is making a change. It seems that the bullet magnet is dropping one of his more notable marketing points in his effort to become less ‘ghettofabulous’. What might this be? His tattoos.

Now most people of my age or older got tattoos because there was a meaning for them. Each of my 4 tattoos is a symbol of an event or moment in my life. But the meanings of tattoos changed over the years and now are just a common fad, with the majority of people getting them just because it’s a popular thing to do. Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) is among that latter group.

50 Cent is removing his tattoos with laser removal to improve his chances of getting film roles. Which says 2 things clearly. The first is that the tattoos have little true meaning, which begs the question why place such a demonstrative and ideally permanent image on his body in the first place? The second is that Jackson (50 Cent) believes that the tattoos somehow interfere with his ability to act.

Personally I believe that a tattoo is a statement for life. No one should ever place something on their body that has no meaning to them. Unlike a hairstyle or clothing, a tattoo is not something that can be changed on a whim. Tattoos are not fashion but a declaration of a person in a manner that announces itself to the world – if it can be easily seen. Given that now such importance is not given to tattoos, sadly.

But as for the conflict with the acting ability of Jackson… well that is another matter. 50 Cent has stated that sleep is more important to him than the tattoos. That the time in make-up to hide the tattoos is detrimental to his film career. Likely there is also the thought that his marketability among Hollywood is higher when tattoos are not prominent.

Generally I find this to mean that 50 Cent is even more of a sell-out than ever before. If the tattoos were more than a statement of his desire to just be popular and follow a trend, then he would keep them. So it implies that he is weak willed in that respect.

His removal of the tattoos in an effort to receive monetaty gain implies his willingness to conform for a price. he is willing to enact extremes just to get a dollar. Which is not too suprising for a person willing to sell drugs for a living. Such an individual is little more than a whore for money, in my opinion, and obviously a sell-out given the chance.

But the thought I really find amusing is the thought that the tattoos in any way might influence his acting ability. One must have talent first, to have anything affect it. Thus far there is no hint of his ability to act, execpt if you include his minstrel act as acting. Therefore tattoos or not, he is rightly relegated to the standard D-class of acting that virtually all rappers-turned-actors deserve.

How good is 50 Cent acting? Well there is the upcoming film Twelve, where he has to stretch his abilities and reach to play a murdering drug dealer. Who knows if he can get into that role. Not that he has life experience there.

The film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was so impressive Samuel Jackson stated he did not want to lend credence to what he believed was an inexperienced and unproven actor. It also promted the quote from film critic Roger Ebert,

“Like Bill Cosby, Jackson is arguing against the anti-intellectual message that success for young black males is better sought in the worlds of rap and sports than in the classroom”.

It also was a film that demanded immense acting skill, with 50 Cent playing a drug dealer that hoped to be a rapper.

All in all, lack of tattoos will not improve his lot in gaining roles. He is regarded as he should be, a drug dealer that got popular for being a minstrel. Hollywood has yet to have a reason to treat him better.

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Michael Vass discusses Hollywood & the Race Lift By Darren at The Movie Blog

Today the Movie Blog cited on of my posts (Tropic Thunder draws questions of racism) in a discussion of The Last Airbender and moreso the issue of race in movies. It’s a topic I have long discussed.

Now I will start off thanking Movie Blog for citing my work. It’s always pleasant to see my work valued by peers. But I believe that Darren, who wrote the post, missed my point.

Darren and I both agree that Hollywood is notorious for race lifting movies. Airbender features a cast of nearly all Whites (except for the villian). The failed Dragonball movie race lifted nearly every character to Whites. The tradition of doing this goes back decades. Even the well done Magnificent 7 is a race lift, and revisioning, of The 7 Samurai (as was A Fist Full Of Dollars to Yojimbo).

I agree that

“Seriously, when was the last time a film maker like Tyler Perry secured a budget equivalent to an equally successful director who works with Caucasian casts? Bad Boys (and yes, Bad Boys II) is the only major blockbuster I can think headline by two non-white actors.”

It’s well overdue that people of color got proper attention on the big screen and small. I particularly enjoyed that Darren pointed out the little known fact that

“Before about 1970, it was common for TV stations in the US South to edit shows featuring non-stereotypical black characters to remove their scenes. In cases where the character couldn’t be edited out, the episode or the entire show wouldn’t be aired. Producers therefore had an incentive to choose an all-white cast even if the original characters were intended to be minorities. (One of the first shows to attempt to break this barrier was Hogans Heroes, which made Kinchloe the second-in-command and the camp genius so he couldn’t be edited out.)

But I feel Darren didn’t get what I was saying when he stated

“Of course, the fact that Kirk Lazarus was a satire himself was apparently taken far too seriously by some people, who completely missed the point and took the movie as a straight example of Hollywood screwing an African American actor out of a part.“

The italicized section links directly to my post noted above.

My post, one of 2 on the movie Tropic Thunder, was not intended to address the sacrasm of Robert Downey’s character. I was discussing the hype around the issue of whether or not blackface should be used in movies today. It was also to address, less so, the issue that actors of different races supplant actors that are intended to be of a specific race. Like how Airbender and Dragonball have been.

I have long been an opponent of the standard in Hollywood that prevents people of color from taking roles, directing movies, writing, or otherwise being involved with entertainment. There is less than 10% of all positions in movies and television held by people of color. That’s in front of and behind the scenes. Based on my own attempts at random study, roughly 2% of all characters on television – on any given day, at any given hour, with all channels considered – are the combination of all people of color (which includes background characters). It’s insane if we look at the world, or even just America, in comparison.

Darren in his article also points to the potential of a Black Captain America. Why not he states in so many words. Why not indeed. Just as I asked not long ago, why not a Black Dr. Who? Or any other role for that matter.

But if an actor were to play say the Black Panther, which is in various stages of development for years now, in blackface… well that is another thing indeed. Or a Black actor playing Captain America in whiteface for that matter. Which again was the point I was addressing in the post Darren was addressing.

Overall, I think that anyone can agree that Hollywood – for all the posturing and Liberal idealism that it pontificates – is the bastion of the Ole White Boys Club. An American movie and/or television show seems nearly impossible to be made without White leading characters, and generally one person of color in a minor role. If the film happens to be sci-fi or horror, you can bet on that character getting killed first (generally in the first 15 to 30 minutes of the film).

Airbender like Dragonball before it, and untold movies to come or in the past, support a subliminal racism that is accepted en masse in America – influencing how people of color are often depicted in other nations. Sadly success of these movie and television race lifts guarantees it’s continuation in the eyes of Hollywood execs. The failure of these films is generally seen as just a film that had a limited audience. When people of color are given the rare chance to shine, it is considered a fluke (Will Smith and Denzel Washington are considered the extreme and not a norm) or denigrated to just a “successful minority film” (basically any success of Spike Lee and others).

Will The Last Airbender be a success? Possibly. But the fact that the cast has been transposed to all Whites is not part of that reason. It is an example of Hollywood screwing people of color out of work; and an insult to Americans in assuming we can’t enjoy quality entertainment without White dominated casts. This too I think that Darren and I agree on.

The Star Wars comedy show

If you haven’t heard about it yet, you will. Star Wars will be made into a comedy series. But if that isn’t odd enough, it will be animated. Still need more? Seth Green will be one of the key minds behind the project.

If you are suddenly thinking of the Robot Chicken episodes dedicated to Star Wars, you are on the right path. Seth Green is one of the executive produicers of Robot Chicken. And George Lucas has been impressed enough with the specials that he is going to on a path touched on once, during the rarely spoken about Christmas special.

The concept is ‘what do the characters in the Star Wars universe do when not saving the universe or fighting dark forces’? The proposal is some form of hijinks, in animated colors sure to amuse any 5 year old (or more than a few smokers, in college or not).

I understand why Lucas and Green are doing this. It will make tons of money. The merchandising could be incredibly lucrative. For Seth Green it gives him a chance to be part of one of the greatest media sucesses of perhaps all time.

But as a fan of Star Wars, and mostly of the original 3 films, I’m not as enthused by the idea. I see it as more of a trend to make a profit. Kind of like how Jar-Jar was meant to draw in children, though most anyone older only wanted to see the character get killed from the moment it was introduced.

Could Star Wars make a good comedy? Will watching Boba Fett do pratfalls week after week be endearing? Could the animated Yoda become Jerry Lewis to an Animated Jedi Mater Windoo? Will we ever see Emperor Palpatine get a pie in his face? Or will it just be characters we never heard of doing things that don’t matter in a hopefully funny way?

No matter which direction is taken, I just can’t get excited. Maybe I grew up with the best part of the story (the middle 3 chapters), or I’ve read too many of the novels continuing the story. Maybe I like the characters as they were, or fear even more Jar-Jar-esque characters. But if I feel like that, and my age range is the true support of the bulk what is the Star Wars franchise, what success does this new idea have?

Do you want to see an animated Star Wars comedy? Do you think it’s a good or bad idea?

Quotes of Cindy Sheehan – comedy or tragedy?

When you stop to listen to some activists and individuals of dubious celebrity, you often hear things that just make you want to laugh or cringe. Often I have wondered why anyone would follow such a person. All of this came together when I covered Cindy Sheehan at her book signing in Binghamton New York recently.

Some of the things she said was comically absurd, other parts contradicted her own statements seconds earlier, and yet other statements were tragically wrong. I want to share that with you, and the nature of the following celebrity political video is not quite right for my political blog.

Now when you consider all that I would like you to consider the question that was asked of me by George McAnaname at the Sheehan event.

“Who do you think embodies the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King more, President Obama or Cindy Sheehan?”

**Note, given time considerations of the video, every effort was made to keep the comments of Cindy Sheehan in context. The clips are in chronological order. No alteration was made to statements of Sheehan or any other person speeking.**

P.O.W./M.I.A. Remembrance Service

This is not about entertainment, but I feel very strongly about this. Please take a moment to read the following (originally posted at P.O.W./M.I.A. Remembrance Service in Binghamton NY at Wall That Heals

Though it was a cold, overcast, misty evening dozens of veterans and their families came together at Columbus Park in Binghamton, New York. The reason for the gathering was in part the Wall That Heals, one of the Moving Walls that are travelling 1/2 sized versions of the Viet Nam Memorial found in Washington D.C. The other part was the Remembrance Service held at 6:30.

The Remembrance Service is in honor of those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, but have yet been unable to come home. It is for those that were captured and tortured in lands where there is no debate allowed about how anyone is treated. It is for members of every service, those that served in Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and every other conflict that America has ever had or will ever have.

Thus with deep respect, and in honor of those brave and dedicated souls, I present the P.O.W./M.I.A. Remembrance Service so that every American, young or old, never forgets them.

**If you know a veteran or anyone that would appreciate this, please pass it on.**

Time for a music interlude

What would you ask anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan?

Cindy Sheehan is likely best known for the media circus around her protests of President Bush over the Iraq war. Less known, or at least reported, is her continued protests of Iraq and Afghanistan wars against President Obama.

Given that background, and having the chance to directly ask 2 questions of Ms. Sheehan, what might you say? Well the following video clip is of Michael Vass, president of M V Consulting and author of this blog, asking his 2 questions. What might be of most interest to some is her answer to the second question starting at 4:33 in the video.

How do you think she answered the question?

**For the full article on Cindy Sheehan in Binghamton New York, check out Is Cindy Sheehan a racist? **