Letters From Zion

I had a great conversation with my friend DJ (his initials, not his profession) who's actually had a life this summer so he missed out on the news that “Heroes” had been canceled. I relayed to him my conversation with DH Lawrence XVII, the actor who played Eric Doyle the Puppetmaster (and chronicled here in my blog) and how he gave me some insight from a professional stand-point. I totally understood David H's diplomacy (don't go blasting potential bosses on the Internet), but as a fan, I can voice my disapproval of NBC and the depths of their contempt for us as fans. They are beholden to those who own stock, but profitability and good television are not synonymous (the music industry is a prime example), so they will give you what they think you want and expect that we are not intelligent enough to know the difference. So I've been subjected to their promotion of two new shows: “The Event”, the recipient of “Heroes” 9pm timeslot (which I will boycott on default), and...

In the interest of disclosure, and making sure credit is given when due, Brother Roland S. Martin's blog started this stream of consciousness. Here is his podcast from the Tom Joyner Morning Show: http://www.rolandsmartin.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/30/roland-tjms-08-30-10-roland-s-martintom-joyner-morning-show-roland-martin-discusses-glenn-beck-and-the-restoring-honor-rally/ Not since 2008 have I really ventured much into the political landscape, to be honest it became quite exhausting, an endless debate with people who's appeal to xenophobia and ignorance would allow them to dismiss the simplest of fact. Polarized bi-partisan politics have no logic... Last night Jon Stewart and The Daily Show won an Emmy. I take a fair amount of satisfaction that even in the self-congratulatory industry of Hollywood, “The Daily Show” is recognized for it's voice of reason when there are outlets that thrive on misinformation, and stoke the fires of hatred and discord. Don't make...

I know the cool thing to do is to counter the culture, buck the system, that's a lot of what HipHop was about, and a lot of what's happened to it. I've been alive just about the same amount of time that HipHop has, I've grown with it, and I've seen all the cycles. Anti-disestablishmentarianism at it's best. (Yes, that is a word...) Musicians in the ghetto couldn't afford instruments, so the turntable became our instrument. We took technology that wasn't really meant for us (TR808, SP1200, they were not designed with us in mind the way the MPC was), and carved out a space in history, all the while they labeled us a fad. HipHop is approaching it's 40 th Anniversary. Success breeds discord, and it's all-too-often I hear musicians decry “HipHop sucks.” They say it's not music. Say what you will... we ain't going nowhere. Everybody 'hates' Twilight right now. There's a spoof movie coming out called "Vampires Suck". “R...