Happy Birthday Michael

In the summer that everyone has died (Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, Dominic Dunne, Ed McMahon, Naomi Sims, Ted Kennedy, DJ AM, E. Lynn Harris, Stanley Kaplan...) and in the week that we also remembered the too soon passing of Aaliyah, we take time to celebrate the birthday of Michael Jackson.



Google's there with us. If you're in NY head down to Prospect Park for the 40 Acres celebration.

Pour a Little Malted 40 Oz. Beverage From Your Brown Paper Bag: RIP VIBE

Quincy Jones hasn't only lost Michael Jackson this week, he's lost his print baby, VIBE.

As VIBE.com mourns the loss of Michael Jackson, journalists and hip hop lovers are mourning the loss of VIBE Magazine: the iconic magazine that reported on hip hop and R&B: the music, the culture, the celebrities and the politics. For many its just one more example of the magazine industry going down the drain. For those a bit more dramatic and sentimental (like me) its the sunset of an era. Dusk is coming and we're not ready. The Johnson Publishing Group also announced their fair share of problems last week meaning Ebony and Jet may also be facing the end. Black Enterprise isn't doing too well either. It seems that black printed media is coming to an end. And while other formats taking precedence (such as blogs), other media such as black television is already struggling to engage with black audiences on the level it needs to be.

Like most people shocked at the demise of VIBE, I wasn't a consistent reader. I never subscribed but would pick up the occasional issue from a newsstand. Perhaps I'm at fault...perhaps its the advertisers. Now critique as you may, but VIBE offered quality and standard journalism on topics and folks not being covered in your Entertainment Weekly (which loving all things tv related, I do thoroughly enjoy as well). It spoke to a demographic looking to read and learn about hip hop in a manner just as sophisticated as they could learn about Celine Dion. It also innovated and put out excellent journalists. During my first internship at a magazine my boss was a former Vibe Managing Editor. She rocked. Folks out there have had more than their fare share to say about whats been going on at VIBE recently (really people let everything out on Twitter) but all admit that its sad to see it go.


Now....go get your American Legacy, Essence, Ebony, Jet and Black Enterprise Subscriptions. I'm not yet publicly supporting The Source.

Pouring a little liquor and shedding a tear.

RIP Billy Mays

Still coping with my MJ withdrawal on Sunday I came home from church to find out that Billy Mays has passed. Now most ppl saw my facebook, gchat and Twitter reactions and thought I was crazy. I was a 90s child without cable. Early Saturday before the cartoons you only had infomercials consisting of Solid Gold and Billy Mays (and those SmartMop ppl). I convinced my parents to get Orange Glo and OxiClean. He was a revolutionary in the advertising world, and since I lived in the world of advertising journalism for a while, I feel a special connection to the work he did and the way in which infomercials seriously impact the advertising world.

RIP to Farrah Fawcette and Ed McMahon as well

I neglected to give Ed McMahon his proper due earlier in the week, and we also lost Farah Fawcett yesterday. This has indeed been a sad week.

Someone made this tribute against one of my favorite songs.

RIP Michael

I just got the news and I'm stealing wi-fi on a campus, but I have to scream...so im going to do it online MICHAELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Michael Jackson - Don't Stop
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Expect a proper tribute later. Condolences to his family.

R.I.P. John Hope Franklin

The world lost a great historian and scholar in John Hope Franklin this week who died in Durham, North Carolina at the age of 94 years old. His long career as a Historian took him many places from his undergraduate days at Fisk to completing his Masters and PHD at Harvard University. He taught at several schools and chaired many history departments. As the head of Brooklyn College's History Department he became the first person of color to chair a major history department. Following his tenure at Brooklyn College, he went on to chair at the University of Chicago before becoming a tenured professor with a chair at Duke University where he taught until 1992.

there are many other highlights in his life. He served as President of the American Historical Association, served on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund with Thurgood Marshall during Brown v. Board of Education, and stuck it out with W.E.B. Dubois. He's also written several books, including the seminal From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans.

Let's all take a moment to honor Franklin and his illustrious and groundbreaking career.

Sad News: RIP Miriam Makeba, Mama Africa

Sad news as I trolled on Facebook today, Miriam Makeba has passed away. She was an activist simply through being herself and expressing her feelings through song. She'll also be remembered for her contributions to film and television such as The Cosby Show, Amandla!, When We Were Kings, and Sarafina. Some special Makeba moments below:

Pata Pata:


Nkosi Sikeleli Africa


She died doing what she believed:

South African singer Miriam Makeba passes away
Uploaded by ITN

Throwback Pop Culture Clip of the Week

I know, the My Favorite Scenes is basically my excuse for me to watch more television(and music videos and movies that are soon to be included). So this means my throwbacks are going to have to return to a point of relevance and not basically be more of My Favorite Scenes, because that would only overdo any sane person's love of the good old days. So as much as I'm tempted to bring you fifty clips of Family Matters I'll resist.
Today's clip is in homage of Bo Diddley, the jazz great who passed away on July 2. (NY Times Article here) And, since AOL Black Voices keeps reminding me that June is Black Music Month, its is fitting. Quite arguably without Bo, we Mickey Factz would not be "Rocking and Rolling with the Cool Kids," we would not "Party like a Rockstar," and I would not be Seeing Sounds at the end of the week because Rock and Roll owes a major debt to the work of Mr. Diddley and several other black musicians from his time period.



Also, Bo Diddley and Bo Jackson in Bo knows commercial(because I can't portray my youth):

Also introducing the NIKE tag, because its so relevant to U.S. Arts.Culture. and Entertainment.