I know Conan O’Brien’s last show was this past Friday ( January 22nd);  sorry I’m a little late. I guess you could say I’ve been in mourning. I LOVE Conan. I’d been watching his show (“Late Night with Conan O’Brien”) since I was a sophomore in high school (2002). Six years ago when I heard he was taking over  the “Tonight Show” I was super excited! Finally there was going to be someone funny hosting the show again. Jay Leno just wasn’t doing it for me. He seemed  like a nice enough guy, but wasn’t all that funny. In fact, after this whole Tonight Show fiasco, I’ve lost a lot of respect for Leno. HE WON’T GO AWAY. You knew for 5 YEARS that Conan would take over! Just leave Leno!

“Coco” was only host for 7 months and had to deal with “The Jay Leno Show” being his lead-in at 10pm. Whose ratings wouldn’t take a dive after having to follow that?  When Leno hosted the “Tonight Show” he had great shows like E.R. as lead-ins. Conan had…Leno. Enough said.

I hope this was a blessing in disguise for Conan and that he gets an even better opportunity.

This is Ashley for Team Coco.

Out!

I really liked “Glambert” on American Idol this past season, and I’m kind of excited to hear what his new album will sound like, but his album cover has me scratching my head. I’m surprised RCA signed off on this. Hopefully America won’t be too turned off by this Lisa Frank-esque (remember those colorful notebooks with the ponies?…memories), David Bowie inspired, and somewhat cheesy cover art. The music on this album BETTER be outstanding.

Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” was pretty good, but pretty good isn’t quite good enough for me. As a black woman with NATURAL hair, I didn’t like the fact that Chris didn’t mention those who choose not to chemically relax or wear weave. Believe it or not, there are actually some black women who love and proudly wear their natural hair. 

That’s me cheesin’ it up:

The part I liked most about the film was when Chris discussed how damaging relaxers are.  I got my first relaxer when I was young (maybe 9 or 10 years old), but I recently (about a year and a half ago) did research and saw the negative affects of those chemicals and decided to go the natural route. I’M GLAD I DID! Shortly before I made the decision to go natural, I’d noticed that the relaxers started thinning my hair, and I wasn’t happy with the way it looked. My hair was limp and unhealthy. I’m glad that happened to me, though, so I could discover my naturally curly hair.

Isn’t it sad that we (as black women) have to “discover” our natural hair?! 

I also got tired of hearing all of the black actresses (except for one, who was natural) talk about their love affair with weaves! I was thinking “now everyone watching this is going to think we all love weaves and would kill anyone who touches our hair”. NOT TRUE! 

As you can tell, this documentary kind of irritated me. Chris should have interviewed a variety of black actresses, but he found all the ones who can’t live without weave. I know there aren’t that many (who are well-known), but you could have found some. Jill Scott’s mainly a singer not an actress, but she’s natural. So is India Arie. 

Overall, I’ll give “Good Hair” a B- because it could have gone deeper into the reasons why many black women relax and weave it up…and it’s NOT just because they want to change it up sometimes. For some, it may be pressures to look a certain way for their work environment or simply because they don’t know enough about their own hair and choose to believe that it’s hard to style curly, kinky, coily hair. (Let me tell you, it’s not! I actually enjoy doing my hair now.)”Good Hair” was a good attempt Chris. Had you dug deeper, fleshed out some topics, and talked about natural hair,  you would have had a great film.

Sunday – “Desperate Housewives”  

Verdict: It may be a keeper.

I wasn’t blown away by the season premiere…at all. The second episode was only a slight improvement. There’s something a little stale about DH, and I can’t put my finger on it. It almost feels like I know the formula for the show: in the season premiere an odd family moves in. Then over the course of the season, a natural disaster occurs (a storm, earthquake, tsunami, who knows), Susan cries over Mike, Brie has a secret, Lynette has a secret, Gabby is still superficial, etc. I could go on and on. DH needs to step it up.

Monday – “House”    

Verdict: Work on it and I’ll stay.

This is another show that used to excite me. Every Monday night I couldn’t wait to get my House and Wilson fix. Now, I feel like almost every episode is the same. The exception was the season premiere which was GREAT. I loved the change of pace. I wasn’t ready for House to leave the mental hospital and go back to the whinyness of Thirteen and Foreman ( those two are annoying!-Foreman is a robot. I’m convinced.) House needs to give us more HOUSE and Wilson. 

Tuesday – ?

I think I used to watch “American Idol” on Tues/Wed nights. I can’t remember. I do have a new show that I’ll be watching at 10pm, but I’ll get to that when I talk about new shows I’m adding to my schedule.

Wednesday - “Law & Order: SVU”

Verdict: I’m still here.

I only really started getting into SVU last season. Before that, I only watched eps sporadically. So far, this season has been pretty good. I really enjoyed the latest episode about the ex-con who pushed Det. Stabler off the roof. The season premiere with (the easy-on-the-eyes) Wentworth Miller was hit and miss for me. Unfortunately, most of the ‘miss’ was Went’s acting. I thought he went a little overboard, and I found myself laughing more than normal. 

 Thursday – “The Office”/ “30 Rock”  

Verdict: OHHHH Yeah

Of course I’m sticking with two great comedies! The Jim and Pam wedding was absolutely hilarious and really sweet–one of the best “Office” episodes in a long time. “30 Rock”, fresh off another Emmy win, will be great this season I’m sure. I can’t wait for Alec Baldwin’s quick, hilarious one-liners like “Never go with a hippie to a second location”. I love it!

“Project Runway” - I’m not sure if I’ll stick with this show anymore. This season (in LA) is not as good as last season. Honestly, last season was the first season I watched ( I was so angry that Korto didn’t win!). Before that I only heard about the winners and saw a few clips. After this week’s elimination of Epperson, I don’t think I’m sticking with it. Epperson did not make the worse dress! Come on! I love Tim Gunn, too, but we may have to part ways.

Friday – “Monk”

Verdict: YES! (It’s so hard to say ‘goodbye’)

I’ve always enjoyed watching Tony Shaloub play the dysfunctional, yet brilliant detective. It makes me sad that this is the final season of the show:(  I’ll truly miss it. So, of course, I’m watching it. Every second.

Saturday – “SNL”

Verdict: I can’t believe I still watch this mess.

Saturday Night Live has really been letting me down for the past few years. The latest episode hosted by Ryan Reynolds (by the way, I really like him) wasn’t that great, but it was MILES above the premiere hosted by the one-dimensional Megan Fox. They just used her physical appearance as the focal point in every skit. She was just a pretty face, no acting required. Sickening! 

Ryan Reynolds wasn’t even used enough. Come on SNL. This guy is FUNNY. USE HIM. This show is on a very short leash!

Now to the New Shows I’ll be sticking with:

GLEE 

I really like this show. It’s funny, has great music, pretty good storylines, and it’s from the creator of Nip/Tuck, Ryan Murphy. Wed at 9pm   

MODERN FAMILY - Absolutely hilarious. End of story. Wed at 9pm

Now Glee and Modern Family both air on Wednesday at 9pm so I have to watch one online. I’ve got a couple of shows on Thursday nights at 8pm, too. I hate the way they schedule these shows, but I’ll just have to “Make it work” like Tim Gunn has taught me. 

FLASHFORWARD – I’m intrigued. As a former LOST lover, I’m hoping I’m not getting too excited too soon. LOST lost me because it introduced too many mysteries and didn’t answer any of them. FlashForward has me locked in unless they start stringing me along and bringing me more frustration than entertainment. Thurs at 8pm

COMMUNITY – I really love Joel Mchale of The Soup, and I think he’s doing a great acting job in his new show. He doesn’t have to stretch acting wise in the show (yet), but he brings the comedy. Honestly, from what I’ve seen, he’s a better actor than Megan Fox. I stand by that comment 100%. His supporting cast is pretty funny, as well. Thurs at 8pm

THE GOOD WIFE - I was really impressed with this show’s pilot and was hooked. The other shows have been great, as well. It’s nice to Julianna Margulies back on television. Thurs at 10pm  

And when 24 comes back in January ( as it always does unless there’s a change) my season will be complete. Gotta love Jack Bauer!

This will be a busy tv season for me, which I am really excited about.

Well, even though I’ve been inundated with MJ coverage, I had to watch the BET Awards for their MJ tribute.

I was greatly disappointed. 

The only highlights, and I mean ONLY, were:

1.) Janet Jackson-she was a trouper to come on stage and speak. I can’t begin to imagine what she and her family (with the exception of Joe–I’ll get to that later) must be feeling. Great job, Janet. Beautiful words.

2.) The O’Jays-this group has been around for 50 years and they can still move around that stage without their pants hanging off their butt (I’m pointing to you Soulja Boy and Lil’ Wayne). They are examples of longevity in the music business, and they sounded great! Tyrese, Johnny Gill, and Trey Songz did a nice medley of their songs, too. 

3.) Jamie Foxx and Neyo during the MJ tribute at the end–this part of the show should have been much sooner! It was a very nice  moment. They sang “I’ll be there” after Janet left the stage, and it was beautiful. That being said, Jamie only partly redeemed himself because he was a huge disappointment.

Which leads me to just a few of the lowlights of the show:

For this portion, I won’t be making a list b/c…well…the list would simply be too long. Let me just say that as the host, you set the tone, and Jamie did a horrible job. He was way too vulgar, he excluded people by saying things like, “Michael was one of us (referring to black people)”. Ummm, Michael was loved by people of all races all over the world. People already know he’s a black man! Come on folks! And I’m saying this as a black female! Let’s not make this mostly about race. Michael’s music transcended all of that. 

Some of the artists who performed should have never performed. Simple as that. As I type this, I remind myself that this is firstly the BET Awards, so there’s mostly hip-hop acts anyway. I think most people watching this show came for MJ though. They were under the impression that this was primarily a tribute show. 

New Edition performing a Jackson 5 song at the opening of the show was nice. So was Ciara. Neyo took the cake though. He gained a lot of points with me. 

Now, the aesthetics of the show was also a let down. Some of the camera angles were horrible, and the long, awkward silences…made…the show…look…unprofessional and slowed… it… down.

Why did Lil’Wayne and Drake perform an explicit song with 12 and 13 year olds running around stage? Really BET.

Don Cornelius should have stayed home! I think he’s still introducing the O’Jays as I type…

And why was Joe Jackson even there? He was the last person I thought would be there. During the red carpet interview with Don Lemon of CNN, Joe was acting weird. He had his publicist read a statement from the family and two other men spoke about…something. Joe only said a little. When he spoke, he wasn’t even sincere. He looked angry (when doesn’t he look angry?). Again I ask, why was he there?! I blame a lot of Michael’s problems on his father, so I really don’t like the sight of him anyway. And why did Don Lemon ask Joe questions that should be asked on 20/20 or Dateline or something. It’s the red carpet! There’s no time for a long, in-depth interview. But I digress…

Overall, BET could and should have done much better. Although the tribute did not live up to the hype at all, MJ is still a music icon and really, can any tribute on any awards show really do him justice? Well, maybe if the King of Pop himself produced it:)

RIP Michael.

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” – George S. Patton

The “King of Pop” is gone. He passed away today, Thursday June 25th in Los Angeles, after suffering from cardiac arrest. He was 50. Honestly, I’m still somewhat in shock. I LOVED him. Even with all the scandals, I saw a caring, sweet, well-intentioned, and misunderstood man. I largely blame his father Joe Jackson for damaging Michael’s psyche (when I think about Joe I just get so angry!). Even Michael himself acknowledged how abusive his father was. 

Michael, besides being a GREAT performer (one of the best EVER), was also a giving person; a humanitarian. He recorded songs like “We Are the World” to raise money and cared deeply about children. He also loved and appreciated his fans tremendously.

Michael was truly happy and at home when he was on stage. He seemed unhappy otherwise. Well now we know that he’s in a much better place. We love you Michael! Rest in Peace.

Earlier today, we lost another legend, Farrah Fawcett. She had been battling anal cancer for about 3 years. We will all remember her for her iconic role on “Charlie’s Angels” and that hairstyle! RIP Farrah. She was 62.

I’ve been watching Conan O’Brien on Late Night for years (since I was a freshmen in high school; I’m now a recent college grad), and I love me some Consy! Well, tonight he took over for Jay Leno (I wish him the best) and is now hosting The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. When I first heard he was taking over for Jay about 5 years ago I thought “Cool, but why announce it so early?” Well, those 5 years flew by because IT’S FINALLY HERE!

When The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (I love typing that) came on last night I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. Conan’s been off the air for about 3 months now, and I’ve been in a Conan drought (I’m trying to see how many times I can type his name). Of course the opening bit that followed Conan as he ran, yes ran, all the way to L.A. from New York was really funny. The new studio at Universal Studios is…kinda futuristic and pretty big. I think I like the studio, but it’ll take a little getting used to.

Will Ferrell was the first guest; the musical guest was Pearl Jam. Will was his normal goofy self. He was there to promote his new film “The Land of the Lost”, and he sang “Never Can Say Goodbye” to honor Conan’s first show. Funny! 

I thought it was a great first show, and I can’t wait for tomorrow night and the night after that and the night after and the…well, you understand:) 

To those who don’t know, Mark Richt is pretty much a BIG deal at Georgia. He’s the football coach and a real celebrity in Athens. Anyway, my friend and I managed to go up near the announcer’s booth and catch him as he was walking down the hallway and had a brief conversation. It went something like this:

My friend and I: “Hi” [grinning from ear to ear]

Mark Richt: “Hi” [also smiling]

(I can’t remember, but I think he also said “How are you?”–it all happened so fast!)

After he passed us, my friend then said something like: “Enjoying the game?”

He said something like: “Yeah. It’s a good one.”

Then he was gone.

But not even 20 seconds later the Director of Athletics, Damon Evans, walked by and we said “Hi”; he said the same…and smiled.

It wasn’t much of a convo, but we (my friend and I) were pretty freakin’ happy:) They seem like really nice guys.

GOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC ‘EM! ROOFFF ROOFFF ROOOFF ROOOF

Last night’s finale was filled with surprise guests. From KISS to Lionel Richie, Black-eyed Peas to Rod Stewart, and a spectacular performance from Adam and Kris accompanied by Queen! Yes, Queen! The group that everyone thinks Adam should join! (He would totally fit in) The night also gave out awards to the horrible singers that didn’t make it to Hollywood. I REALLY didn’t want to hear from the UNFUNNY Norman Gentles, but “Idol” brought him out anyway, along with the obnoxious Tatiana. 

The two finalists were so gracious and respectful to one another that it was almost hard to have to pick a winner. That being said I REALLY wanted Adam Lambert to win. I like Kris a lot (his voice is GREAT and he sings with such emotion every time), but Adam has the voice, the presence on stage, and the personality. Going into tonight I said, “I want Adam to win, but if Kris wins that’s cool, too”. And he did.

My first reaction was “Oh.” Then “Wow”. Kris actually won. I was happy (and still am as I type this thinking about the wings Adam wore during his performance with KISS) for the little guy from Arkansas. Deep down, though, I felt that Adam should have won, but the tweens in love with Kris wouldn’t let mommy force them to bed before they voted for their “Krissy poo” 50 more times.

I think this was the best outcome though. Kris has to record that horrible “No Boundaries” song written by [unnecessary] judge Kara DioGuardi while Adam is free to be the artist he wants to be. Fly Freebird fly! 

This was a great finale…all things considered. (Kidding!  Congrats again Kris), and I hope the Adam fans don’t get down in the dumps; he’s going to do big things I’m sure! 

For the Adam addicts, remember this suit from his “Tracks of my Tears” performance? Love the classic look:)

Below are a few pics of Ryan so you can see where I’m coming from (if you didn’t know already)

With beard: