2011 VMA commentary

- Wait, is that Lady Gaga dressed like a man?
- OK I'm getting bored
- Finally she's singing and performing
- Justin Bieber looks very nerdy
- Is this a Westside Story spoof?
- Who's that old fart on the guitar?
- I'm feeling this song though
- NOOOO!!! Kevin Hart is helping host
- Wait, there's no host this year?
- Jonah Hill really slimmed down!
- Nicki Minaj's hair looks like a bunch of balloons
- Slick plug for your movie Moneyball, Jonah!
- Brittany has come first circle in winning the night's first award
- OTIS!!!
- Miley Cyrus, WTH?
- Who is Foster The People?
- So these VMAs have a house singer?
- It's the Dougie!
- That guy from the Beastie Boys looks like Jack Black
- We have a dance battle!
- Now Nicki is a winner, OMG!!!!
- And this is the coon portion of the show
- Beavis and Butthead, returning October 27 #ftw
- Katy Perry is fiiine!
- Please don't act a fool Kanye
- Time for Pitbull and Ne-Yo!
- Lots of women on stage
- Can anyone understand what Pitbull is saying?
- Kevin Hart is sooo corny!
- I like Katy Perry better with black hair
- Adele's got some pipes, and some talent, but her performance is boring
- Beavis and Butthead meets Nicki!
- WHAT?? Justin Bieber won?
- Gotta love Victoria Justice's legs
- Rock it Chris Brown!
- Gotta love the WU-Tang clan homage
- Chris is flying and flipping
- And Lady Gaga is still dressed like a man
- I've always thought Brittany was talented
- OK its Beyonce' time!
- This is a Beyonce' song off of "4" that I actually like
- Do it Bey!!
- Bey is pregnant!!! It's about time
- Selena Gomez has gotten waay too slim.
- Tyler the Creator (whoever that is) is now Best New Artist
- He sure is cursing a lot
- Zoe Saldona is gorgeous!
- Mo and the Giant?
- Why is Cloris Leachman with those Jersey Shore skanks?
- Wow Gaga wins! Hard to believe nearly a year ago she had just named her next album
- Hope this Amy Winehouse tribute is good
- Wow, Tony Bennett!
- I never knew Tony and Amy sang together
- Bruno Mars can sing! What a great Amy Winehouse tribute!
- Katy Perry wins again! But what is that block on her head?
- Ok now Lil Wayne!
- Weezy looks like Slash, and a lil like Lil Jon
- OK I'm ready for this to be over already
- Dang Eminem didn't even perform!

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Back "In The Flow": Urban Sketch Comedy is Back!!!

Sketch comedy has come a loong way in the past 40 years. George Carlin hosted the pilot of the classic SNL (Saturday Night Live). This show not only spawned several careers, but other sketch comedy shows. Those of note are MAD TV, In Living Color, Chapelle's Show, and Mind of Mencia. You can now add In The Flow With Affion Crockett to that list. This new sketch show on FOX has gathered plenty of positive reviews in just its first two weeks on the air.

Affion Crockett became notable 6 years ago on Nick Cannon's hip hop comedy show "Wild 'n' Out" on HBO. Other comedians such as Katt Williams, DeRay Davis, and Corey Holcomb earned notoriety from that short-lived series. It was now Affion's turn at stardom.

At first, I thought it was gonna be lame and coonish. Quite frankly, I've never been a big fan of Affion's. Now, he cracks me up with each skit and impression. He has inpersonated President Obama, Russell Simmons, Michael Jackson, Drake, Jay-Z, and Tiger Woods just to name a few people. He is filling a void that has honestly been missing in sketch comedy since Dave Chapelle abruptly left Chapelle's Show in 2004.

Now since then Mind of Mencia and Tosh.O have been broadcast on Comedy Central in an effort to keep the laughs going. Mind of Mencia did well until Carlos Mencia started stealing jokes from other comedians, including George Lopez. Tosh.O could not satisfy this appetite either, as it was a second rate version of "The Soup"."In The Flow" delivers and not a moment too soon.

I know Comedy Central is kicking themselves for somehow missing out on Affion's show. However, I hope FOX realizes just what they have. Better yet, they need to take care of Affion and his staff and give them creative control. Comedy Central failed to do that with Chapelle and perhaps lost their best show outside of South Park.

If you're not watching In The Flow, I highly recommend giving it
a try, especially if you're into sketch comedy. He has some fresh, clever, and on point skits. Affion is a talented young man and it seems folks are receptive of him. I hope this continues.

Far as longevity, that ultimately depends upon Affion. Many throw away an opportunity, or take a long break like Chapelle. It's up to him as to how he makes his mark. Either way, the sky is the limit.


Tune in to his show, Sunday nights, 9:30pm, FOX. Perhaps you will get a good laugh.

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Financial Tips Part 2

OK here are some more tips for staying economically sound, even if our country's credit rating has been downgraded.

- Make a budget and stick to it

Self explanatory but true. Budget your money every week, down to the last dollar. A good rule of thumb is the 80-10-10 rule. Use 80% of your earnings for bills and miscellanei, 10 for your tithes, and the final 10 for savings.

- Use discount websites to purchase goods and services.

Just to name a few, ecartshopping.biz, cellphoneshop.net, hotels.com, restaurant.com, spun.com ( for music and movies), . Websites such as these allow top notch goods and services at super bargains.

- Don't ever throw away a sales paper again.

Stay on the lookout for sales, BOGOs, and goods sold in bulk at. a fraction of the cost. Stock up so you save more later.

- Wait for new technology, CDs, DVDs, etc

Trust me, things go obsolete fast, and new technology takes a while to work out kinks and bugs. You can get stuff in better working order, and often cheaper and higher quality, if you just wait. If you're eyeing the iPhone5, I would suggest waiting for Christmastime. Should make for a nice present.

- Get flexible medical spending at your job, if its available

For just a few bucks taken out of each paycheck, you have your own personal savings, just for medical purposes and emergencies. From extensive dental work in 2007 and 2008 to my incident with my finger around this time last year, flexible spending has saved my behind time and time again.

- Have frequent yard sales, make trips to pawn shops and such, to sell stuff you do not need

That's all for now. I may make this a monthly series

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You May Be From Blacksburg, SC if,...

- you know Jackie Wayne Cashion
- there are four main churches: First Baptist, Hopewell, Trinity, and Youngs Grove
- you know all about the Quik Quack
- you attend Ed Brown's Rodeo, the Iron City Festival, and fireworks at Hopewell on 4th of July
- you remember when the only grocery store was the Community Cash
- the only dollar store was the Super Dollar
- you know where Sidney Rice is originally from, and has several family members still living here.
- Shine Camp ever washed your car or shined your shoes.
- you're black and afraid to go to the tree.
- you suffered withdrawals when Bailey's Fish Camp burned down
- the old NAPA store was where Joy Wok is now
- Doug Bolin needs no introduction
- Ozzies was Waffle House to us
- you didn't mess in Nellie V's yard
- you did nothing in Coach Touchberry's class in March but watch basketball
- you were so hype about getting a Food Lion
- you remember when the track was dirt
- the local whorehouse is the Flying J's parking lot
- Mrs. Hughes had a different sweater for every holiday
- Daniel Walker and Timmy Camp fought every day
- you think Burnt Mills is the beach
- you remember Spook's Lounge on the hill
- you gave Barney Phife (Leonard) Hell
- your mayor was caught stealing chicken out of the grocery store (Jere Dixon)
- you ever got behind Poopie Earls driving 20 mph on Hwy 29
- the main families are Wilson, Ross, Martin, Earls, McDaniel, Thompson, and Upchurch
- you remember Papa G's was the old elementary school
- you had Ms. Kitty Bridges as a substitute
- you remember Mr. Edwards, one of the greatest music teachers ever.
- you thought it was cool that one of your classmates could memorize the schedules of every student year in and year out
- we all never assume thanks to Coach Cabaniss
- Tucker Town and Humps Hill were the party spots.
- you remember the group Hi-Lo

More coming later,...

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Sensitivity: don't feed that beast the wrong food

Ok okay this blog has been on the shelf for weeks. Now its time to get it out as we begin the last unofficial month of the summer season.

Basically, we all have things that annoy and pester us. It can be a TV show, a person, or simply a pet peeve. When one gets extreme and even emotional about it, that can be defined as being sensitive (or even hypersensitive).

Women are best known for being sensitive due to their emotions and such. However, many men are culprits of sensitivity as well. I myself have been guilty of being sensitive too many times. Sometimes, I could justify it. Other times, it was silly and I was upset for the wrong reasons.

Black people tend to get edgy when they sense racism, jokes about their hair, bad remarks about President Barack Obama, and especially when another race calls them/us the "N" word.

I never joined a black Greek organization in college. However, from the outside, I found that bashing a NPHC organization, or any of these members, was not tolerated. That is similar to folks that try to bash your family. I don't know about you, but I have my peeves and buttons. Three big ones are my Family, my Food, and my Finances. You just don't play around with those three in my book.

So when is a person "hypersensitive"? It's when they can't joke about anything, they're always mad and defensive, and just plain combative. They see every word you utter as an attack on them. They believe the entire world is against them, and that all of their shortcomings are someone else's fault. I believe at some point, one must chill out, take responsibility and realize that life is not that serious.

Referring to "feed the beast" I commented on a lady friend's status about her acting up. She said she was ok now that she had eaten. Jokingly, I said "feed the beast" She was upset at first, but then seemed cool about it. I realized that my words had a double meaning. I didn't mean that she herself was a beast. I meant that since she was calm after eating, it compared to a beast calming after being fed, the old "feed the beast" saying. It was harmless, I promise!

I've basically found that to be careful in what you say, especially when you know that person well. You know what buttons to push, and continuing to do so is inconsiderate. Also, get to know someone before making assumptions either way. You don't know what that person is going through. Give them some space.

Finally, be sure you know what beast you're dealing with, and feed it the proper food.

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