Single Ladies...

...so on Monday night, I wasted 2 hours of my life watching VH1's Premiere of the television series Single Ladies.  From the title and the trailers, ladies you would think this was going to be OUR show.  You would think this was our new Monday night show that we were going to regularly invite our girlfriends over, have wine and food prepared and together we would laugh, cry and bare all of our hopes and dreams about men, relationships, family and marriage and of course SHOPPING!!!!  Well...we were bamboozled..I mean how many of ya'll knew this show was going to be a disaster.  I didn’t think it was going to be the BEST show, but I thought it would be like Girlfriends...remember how it was okay and then it got REALLY REALLY good...well...not this one.  I don’t think there is any hope. 

There is really not much to say except that there were too many has beens, too many story lines, too many sexual encounters and too many light skin men.  If this was Queen Latifah's attempt at an "African American" version of Sex and the City or any successful television series, Dana you failed.   Do not pass go, do not collect $200.00, I'm sorry.  The show simply sucked.  I don’t know who was worse Stacey Dash or LisaRaye McCoy.  Yes, I do.  They both were horrible.

The acting itself left a lot to be desired.  I mean I am all for keeping the money in the family and keeping old school actors and actresses employed but HONEY last night was like Clueless meets Players Club meets Dumb in the City.  Stacey and LisaRaye's acting skills combined are not enough to keep me watching. 

I mean LisaRaye was "herself".  The same way she is on her reality show is the same way she was on this scripted television series.  And Stacey Dash...well your claim to fame is your youthful appearance, but uh..I think you have been hanging with Mr. Botox.  Now I didn’t create this blog to talk bad about people.  That is not my intent and frankly I am not that kind of person...but the acting was simply horrible and they had the nerve to have the "smartest baby moms of the Century" on the show-no other than: Lauren London, Chilli and Kim Porter... *crickets*  somebody call Target and see if they are hiring.  I can't.   None of these 5 women have acting skills that have progressed since they originally came on television or the movie screen.

This may have been an attempt at a star studded cast or premiere-but I only saw crickets. No stars.

I know this series has already been taped but can we scrap the next couple of episodes and replace them with new ones.  I mean the story lines jumped around with two many issues for a premiere. Stacey Dash was dating a man for 5/1/2 years-who in the first 10 minutes of the show told her he didn’t want to marry her, who she thought she was pregnant by but wasnt sure because it could have been another man's (some Caucasian dude she had JUST met).

Then there's the other main character, a Caucasian woman- until I find her real name (no offense) who is married to a suite wearing African American man and cheating on him with Common-the Mayor. 

LisaRaye worked in the boutique owned by Stacey Dash, who was also a video vixen who stole jewelry-wait did I tell you she was in Camron's video-#pause...Camron really?  Stop.  LisaRaye you are too OLD.  Maybe your daughter should have been in the television series.  There were many more issues, too many to type.  I suggest you waste 2 hours of your life like I did...and then "tell em' why you mad son". 

Again who is the other main character....I cant find her name anywhere...not that I looked that hard.

The series is supposed to be a "modern, sexy series set in the world of Atlanta fashion, music, and celebrity that will constantly explore which woman has the right approach to relationships"...well I personally do not need to watch several episodes of this series to know that neither of the three of the women have the right approach to relationships or life for that matter.  At one point Chilli and LisaRaye were discussing the men they both dated since there are only 4 eligible men in Atlanta-and a homosexual co-worker of LisaRaye's chimes in because he dated one of the guys too....STOP.  Please.  No more.

Writers, Producers, Editors! HELP!!!!! Can we please get a real story with real women dating real men?   Real storylines.  Real issues.  Everyone is NOT a video girl and not everyone cares to be.  We do not sit around drinking wine in our designer sunglasses and talking about the next event we are going to.  We do not all have our own boutiques, clothing lines or shoe stores...some of us sit at a desk all day, work in schools-wear uniforms to work.  We do not date “perfect looking men”-fat free-all muscle bodies, beautiful smiles, good hair, bald heads, big houses.  No, we date men with receeding hairlines, crocked teeth, men that dont always wear suits to work and many who live in row homes.  Some of us (ya'll) date men that dont even own a suit-I wont go there today, later, not today, today is not your day.  Someone tell me when will we have a regular show about African American woman dating in 2011 who go to *in my Katt Williams voice* REGULAR jobs, date REGULAR men, drive REGULAR cars and have REGULAR sexual encounters.  Huhnh?  That's not good enough for television, I guess.  It’s too REGULAR.  Everything has to be fake…or a fantasy…or made up or over the top.-even Realtiy television is fake.  How ironic!  And whats said is that because of all the telelvision celebrity lifestyle reality television shows and lifestlyes that we are able to be a part of we (ya'll) think this is how we are supposed to be living.  Half of that stuff is rented...down to the houses they shoot the televsision shows in.  Living high on the hog, gucci this, prada that, cheap heels and fake hair-and you cant even pay your own cable bill-talking about what a man needs to be able to do for you...SIGH I digress... look at what television has done to us *waving fist in the air*.

Ladies-wake up! The revolution will not be televised.  You'd probably be watching Single Ladies anyway if it was.

I am really disappointed in the show and in myself for watching it and NOW blogging about it.  The show needs to improve.  I think Single Ladies needs new actresses, a new story line…and a new station.  VH1 loves to show this kind of buffoonery.  I don’t think another television station would have allowed this show to be on their lineup.  Thank you VH1 and Dana (Queen Latifah) for wasting our time and money.  I should have been reading a book, instead I was glued to the boob tube praying for the show to get better or at the very least to see some hot fashion.

B or B...

What is female empowerment?  Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves those folks considered empowered and having developed confidence in their own capacities.  In that case, I would assume female empowerment would be the ability of women and girls to develop and exhibit confidence in their own abilities to do things. 

As a woman, I am all for empowerment, confidence and frankly showing off...I have to wonder though does that include belittling others, using sexual innuendos and obscenities to do such.  Can female empowerment be as gentle as a tiny kitten, soft and fluffy?  Does it have to be harsh, abrasive, sexual and dark?  Can it be both?  Apparently in most of our present day music it is presented as two different approaches, no in-between and the later of the two is what we commonly think of or see images of.

I am a Beyonce fan...so please do not take this Blog entry as me hating or being jealous.  The first time I listened to the song "Who Run the World (Girls)", I didn’t like the song.  I actually thought that Kelly Rowland had a better first single.  However, before we label this song as a female empowerment song, I think we need to address several things. 

One, female empowerment is not about being naked, gyrating, shouting obscenities/cursing or hand gestures that mimic such (at least not in my eyes).  Or is it? In the above mentioned video she is half naked and dancing very seductively around and on the men.   At one point in the music video B even puts up her middle finger... #wheretheydodat?  Was that necessary?  In the video she is portraying the "leader" of an all female army and they are "fighting" a war. Shouldn’t you be leading by example? Did B putting up my middle finger show that her female army was better than the male one.  Maybe I missed something.  I also saw trailers of the video where it appears some parts were left out of the mainstream video, but nevertheless it hasn’t answered my question, but only increased the number of questions I have about the validity of the song and the video that accompanies it.  Do we as women have to act like "B's" to be heard or seen? 

Ironically when I started this blog, I didn’t know that B would be featured as the cover story of the most Recent Billboard Magazine.  In the article the author refers to Beyonce as an "icon of female empowerment" and asks what power means to her.  B describes what it means to her, including "it's about setting a good example, and not abusing your power...leading by example".  B, do you really believe that?  Does that persona only occur behind close doors when the cameras are off?  Are you saying B is the role model but Sasha Fierce isn’t because I am not sure if your last video (or last couple of videos) displayed such role modeling.  Does that mean we need to be half naked and dancing seductively to get people's (specifically men) attention or can we simply use our intelligence, facts, and natural charm to get our point across and our voices heard.  The video-and song- should have been entitled What Runs The World (Pu$$Y).

Yes, our girls (and women) need role models and inspiring music to get them through life's strenuous and laborious road blocks, but is Who Run the World (Girls) the female empowerment anthem that we need to be singing?  Is it the music video I would use to make a point or presentation with.  No, I dont think so.  I believe this song and the video itself, sets women back several decades.  All that we have fought for in the world of women's rights and independence -and here we go again throwing our Pu$$Y in the faces of men, to get ahead and prove a point.  I think the video is very sexual and does nothing for B, her image and the young women who will continuously chant the song all summer long.   I mean did you listen to the lyrics…geesh that’s another blog for another time.

Sorry B, this was not a winner.  I don’t want to be a B.  This is not the image that women should be flaunting in 2011.  Not when we have astronomical rates of teen pregnancy, STD’s including HIV, poverty, low literacy in our communities.  Please try again.  Next time B the role model you claim to be.