Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman & Vampires

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

Am I the only one who just heard about the film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? People, I just saw the book in the bookstore the other day and then, come to find out that the Tim Burton produced film hit movie theaters last month!

Where have I been?

Okay, maybe I did hear about it, but promptly shelved it with the 'ridiculous things that I don't understand' section of nonsense in my brain.

But then a couple of days ago, I noticed an ongoing conversation in the Black Twitterverse about a bi-racial actress named Jaqueline Fleming, playing Harriet Tubman in the film. So, I felt compelled to investigate.

Let me begin by saying that once I got the gist of the book's (and movie's ) premise -- slave owners in the United States were really vampires and our muscular 16th president was uniquely qualified to annihilate them -- I was intrigued. To me it sounded like the type of bloody, violent, revenge fantasy story for Black people that Inglorious Basterds was for Jewish people. Here's an article from the Daily Beast that explores the positive of the book's conceit.

But, of course the movie couldn't measure up to the book's aspirations. In fact, the film apparently was pretty tepid and the filmmakers shied away from any kind of potentially powerful message. But don't take my word for it, since I didn't even see the film. Read what Entertainment Weekly film critic, Lisa Schwarzbaum had to say.

So, from here, do we really care that Harriet Tubman, who appears in only a couple of scenes in this reportedly lackluster production, has literally been whitewashed? Some people really do. Over on Madam Noire they explain why.

In my opinion, the very idea that Harriet Tubman be cast as bi-racial with light skin and European features is more preposterous than portraying Abraham Lincoln as a vampire slayer. I mean, Harriet Tubman was Harriet Tubman because she was dark and African looking. Her color and her looks informed her destiny in life. That's not true for all people. Some people's destiny is forged, despite their looks. But for Tubamn, that wasn't the case. Colorism or a system of pigmentocracy was very much in place in antebellum America. And though often unspoken, still is today.

So, do we protest the film? Do we rally the troops? I'm going to pass. Why? Because this film is clearly so bad, nobody is going to watch it anyway. And Harriet Tubman is hardly in it. Why bring more press to a bad film? In the meantime, I'd rather work on my next book which is going to explore these issue of color and colorism in a way that hopefully will bring more attention -- and hopefully healing -- to the topic than a vampire slaying president ever could.

Just wondering. Have any of you seen the film or read the book? What did you think?

Peace!

The Bachelor is Racist!...Yeah, We Noticed.

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Have you heard that ABC/the producers of the shows, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are being sued for racial discrimination? The plaintiffs, two African-American men, claim that because the shows have never featured African-American bachelors or bachelorettes in their entire 23-season run, they are discriminating against people of color. If you ask me, they have a slam dunk case. We'll see what the producers can come up with for a defense. But quite frankly, I have never watched the show because based on the premise alone -- a man gets his freak on with 20 plus women in a short period of time, in front of a million viewers and then tries to pick the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with --sounds like the stupidest and most degrading idea I've ever heard. In fact, rather than calling it, "The Bachelor," I think the show should be called The Pimp.

If someone was going to sue a network for not featuring people of color in their regular cast, I have some better suggestions on where to fight this fight. Here's a list of shows I'd like to see with more diversity in the mix.

1. Saturday Night Live. Could we please get a Black woman in the regular cast so the two Black male cast members can stop dressing in drag? And while we're at it, a Latina, Asian and/or any other woman of color would be really appreciated. Why is it that only White girls get to be funny?

2. Law & Order. I am a loyal fan, but wouldn't it be great to get a Black/Hispanic/Asian female cop on the beat? And keeping Tamara Tunie, who played the medical examiner on the show, with the dead people in the morgue, is probably the reason she quit.

3. Modern Family. Okay, so Modern Family is supposed to be so great because not only is it funny, but they have a diverse cast. Let's check that diversity. They have two gay white men, with an adopted Asian daughter. They have a Colombian mother and her son. I'm not saying this isn't progress, but nobody in the cast is really pushing any racial boundaries. I'd love to see a Black family somehow become part of the show. A neighbor, a love interest for one of the kids?  Someone's boss. There are endless possibilities.

Okay, what do you guys think? Where would you put more color in prime time? And I haven't even touched the cable shows because I don't have cable. So, let me know about those shows too. I'm so listening. By the way, I'd also like to hear if you think that diversity in prime time is irrelevant in the greater scheme of things we need to be worrying about.

Peace!

P.S. The winner of Julia Alvarez's new book, A Wedding in Haiti is The Golden Papaya! Hey GP, send us your mailing info to myamericanmeltingpot@gmail.com and we'll send you your book. Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments.

The Most Racially Sterotyped Characters on TV Right Now

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

No time to write today, what with a book deadline, parent teacher conferences and midterms to correct. (Whew! I got exhausted just writing all that) But I wanted to leave with you a link to Flavorpill's list of Most Racially Stereotyped TV Characters. I agree with most of them, but wanted to get your opinion if they missed some. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Peace!

My Beef with Bridesmaids

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I did. We ate, a lot. We laughed and talked and just enjoyed being with family. And then we came home, put the kids to bed and watched a movie. My parents have cable so we had a wide selection of films to choose from. Seven of us were watching and the consensus was to see the film Bridesmaids.

Trust me in that I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary or even that spectacular. I just expected a good laugh. And people, I laughed. A lot. There were some really hilarious one-liners and physical comedy. The story line was quite predictable but it was about as intricate as my food-addled brain could handle last night.

But here's the problem I did have. Here's what pissed me off. The bride in Bridesmaids was played by Maya Rudolph. Maya Rudolph is mixed, some might just call her Black, because her mother --who happens to be the singer, Minnie Ripperton -- was Black. In the movie, they made her father Black. He appeared in the film in two brief scenes, other than that, this was the whitest movie ever. In other words, the movie's conceit was that here you have this Mixed chick with a dreadlocked Black father, yet all of her friends and even her fiance are White. Not a single bridesmaid is Black. That means she has no Black friends. Ok, that's possible. But that would mean she also had no Black family. Maybe her father was an orphan?

So, we can put Maya Rudolph in a movie, but we're going to pretend that her cinnamon brown skin is irrelevant. Why, Hollywood? Black actresses can't even play second-string bridesmaids? I am pulling out my hair as I write this. And this isn't about affirmative-action casting. I'm not saying that every movie should have Black people in it. If this was a movie about a White bride, I wouldn't be saying, she SHOULD have at least one Black friend. But this film featured a Black bride --granted she was from Milwaukee. Statistically speaking, there would more than likely be at least one colored girl in the mix.

Am I crazy? Someone talk me down here.

In the meantime, enjoy this clip from Maya's mom, Minne Ripperton.



Peace!

Burning Questions from the Meltingpot

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

The world really is a crazy place. Makes me question some things. Maybe you can help me with some answers.

1. These so-called race riots in London and the rest of England sound awful. But I'm having a hard time understanding the looting and lawlessness and overall destruction without any kind of clear issue to protest against. In fact, it seems to me that a British race riot sounds a whole lot like a Philly flash mob. What do you think, dear readers, is the difference?

2. Did anyone else -- especially my readers in Germany -- read about the controversy over this advertisement for chocolate cake that features a shirtless Black child in the ad? If you read the story, the bakery owner claims the child in the photo is one of his employees' children and the connection to the chocolate cake was inadvertent. Excuse me? I'm scratching my head on this one. Was this just an oversight? Are protesters being too sensitive? What do you think?

3. What about The Help? In case you haven't been following all of the heated debates about the new movie based on the bestselling book by Kathryn Stockett, here's the deal. A lot of people of color are annoyed that yet another "White" version of the Black experience is being exalted and praised. There's a very good essay explaining the discontent written by Valerie Boyd called, "A Feel Good Movie for White People." Martha Southgate also penned a great piece in Entertainment Weekly about the historical inaccuracies the movie portrays. So here's my question. Can any self-respecting Black woman go see the movie without wearing dark glasses and a big hat? What do you think? If a film by its very existence is perpetuating stereotype and myth about your own people, what's the right thing to do?

So those are my burning questions. I'm listening for your answers.

Peace and Sweet Baby Feet!

How Do You Translate "Black?"

Am I the only one who missed this disturbing news about the international advertising campaign for the movie Couples Retreat? Personally, I hardly paid attention to this film when it premiered in the United States because Vince Vaughn is in it and quite frankly, I think Vaughn possesses the dramatic range of a yodeling pickle. But I digress.

Apparently, the movie posters for the film in the UK and other foreign markets had the Black couple removed -- both their photographs and their names in the list of credits -- because, well, because apparently Black people just don't appeal to foreigners. Here's how a Universal spokesperson explained their decision to whitewash the poster: We got rid of the Black actors to “ simplify the poster to actors who are most recognizable in international markets.” Oh, And they "regretted causing offense."

For a full read on the incident,and a peek at the before-and-after posters, you can check out this Yahoo story.

Many people in La La Land, aka Hollywood, believe that Black people just don't translate well overseas. That Will Smith just isn't that popular and so we can't put him on magazine covers or on movie posters and expect our British brothers and sisters to buy. And God forbid can you imagine in Japan or China or Turkey? Or at least that's what top brass at the movie companies are saying. But maybe they're saying that because they personally think that and don't have any Black people in positions of power at the studio to tell them otherwise. That's kind of what this writer at the LA Times says in his article about this whole hulabaloo.

What do you think? Especially you world travelers. Would foreign audiences shun a movie with a Black protagonist or supporting actor? Could they handle Black people on their movie posters? Vivienne Pattison, director of Media Watch UK, told the [Daily]Mail: "... We celebrate diversity in Britain and we could have coped with seeing the same poster used in America." Indeed, I find it really hard to believe that considering foreign markets are so hot for Black music, style, fashion, slang, dance, food (yes, my cousin is about to take a job teaching Italian chefs how to make soul food in Italy.), and our hot Black president, that somehow they would be turned off by Black people in a movie. What is the real problem here? Where are we getting lost in translation?

I'm really, really listening.

Peace.

Is This TV's New Black Face?

First let me say, I don't even watch that much television, but I do stay abreast of what shows are appearing that feature diverse casts. Sadly, I know that despite the NAACP's official call for more diversity on the small screen, not much has changed. Yes, there are some bright spots, but overall, network TV land still feels overwhelmingly White (Where are you Bill Cosby?) And now, to add fuel to the fire, Fox has launched a new cartoon sitcom called The Cleveland Show all about a Black man named Cleveland Brown and his trials as husband and stepfather.

The problem? Cleveland Brown is voiced by a White actor. His wife is voiced by Sanaa Lathan and his kids are also voiced by Black actors, so I should be happy that somebody Black in Hollywood is working, right? Wrong. I mean, if there really weren't any Black actors who could play the part of Cleveland Brown, sure let the White guy do it, but this is feeling really pitiful to me. Like a rerun of the debate over whether or not Angelina Jolie should have played Daniel Pearl's wife in A Mighty Heart. She put on dark make-up and a curly wig and presto she was kind of colored.

Of course in the cartoon world, maybe this is a good thing? Maybe this will be the beginning of color-blind casting and Black actors will be voicing the entire cast of South Park, the Simpsons and Dora the Explorer. Oh and Shaggy from Scooby Doo. But I doubt it. The reality is, we're not a colorblind society. Race does matter. Even in our voices. Not always, of course. Take me for example. I can't tell you how many times people were shocked to discover I was Black after only speaking to me on the telephone. Apparently I sound "White." So I'd be a great candidate to voice a White cartoon character apparently. But on the flip side, there is a definite tone, structure and sound to the way some Black people speak. I dare not call it Ebonics because sometimes it really is just a tone, but it is there. And the character of Cleveland Brown is supposed to have that tone. And the White actor who voices him doesn't speak like that naturally. He has to "pretend" or "act" or here comes the slippery slope, "imitate" the voice of a Black man. Is there a dialect coach on set, I wonder?

What do you think? Is this the wave of the future and I just need to chill out? Or has a Black actor been slapped in the face once again in Hollywood? Would I think differently if a Black actor was being used to voice a White character? I do happen to know that Cree Summer voices some cartoon characters who are not Mixed like she is and I don't really have a problem with that, but I also think her characters aren't all human either. So let me hear it. I'm listening.