Are TV Execs Really Asking For More 'Ethnic' Shows?

TV Execs don't have to watch out for putting bad 'Ethnic' shows on TV,  just bad Shows! (I liked it tho)

So many of you that follow me on twitter know about that Deadline article by Ayanna or Aliaynna or some name I don't feel like remembering.  I'm not linking it because I just don't want to give it the added exposure and digital credit.  You can easily search for it if you want.  In the article she (her name is Nellie) talked about her thoughts on if 'Ethnic' tv is over due or becoming too much of a good thing?  Her assumptions were that we haven't seen black people on network television as much as now with the likes of Empire, Black-ish, Extant, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder.  I'll counter that point later.  But one thing she mentioned was that network executives were asking for more ethnic roles to be made for their TV shows.  With the success of Empire and Shonda Rhimes two hit ABC series, I can see how some executives are trying to find out how they can get some of those Empire ratings.  It's funny how mainstream media people try to talk about diversity and forget about Sleepy Hollow though.   I guess if Abby and her sister Jenny were talking like Cookie then it would be considered an 'ethnic' show also.

Now I do think execs follow what is popular at the moment.  And what makes something popular to them is the ratings that certain shows get.  Why are Empire and HTGAWM getting great ratings?  Maybe it is because Nielsen started paying attention to Twitter.   Now the market can see how successful a show with a black lead can be.  I'm sure the numbers for ABC's Fresh Off The Boat are not looking too bad either.  If you really want to see why execs are going crazy over twitter responses to Empire and other shows, check out the some of the NIELSEN TWITTER TV RATINGS on their site.  I'm just saying, those tweets can't be ignored by anybody.  I see you Black Girl Nerds!

But as successful as these shows are, we have not reached saturation by a long shot as the article proposes.  Because saturation will not be determined by anything other than the audience watching TV.  And I can't see the black audience that supports these shows saying "Oh, Okay. Whew! That's enough interesting Black leads on TV for us!"

What the deadline writer failed to remember was that this happened in the 90s, and nobody complained.  Remember when there were plenty of black shows on TV like Steve Harvey, My Wife and Kids, Fresh Prince, Family Matters, Living Single and The Jamie Fox show. We even had brothers among the stars - Homeboys from Outer Space. In the beginning of the millennium we had a few more shows like Girlfriends and The Bernie Mac Show.

Now after those early 2000s shows it was a definite dry spell as more reality television started popping up.  We didn't see many scripted dramas or comedies featuring POC leads and definitely not many genre shows in Sci-fi and fantasy.  So it's no wonder that the black audience is looking to see themselves represented on TV again. 

There was the other point made in the article about the white actor that lost a role to a black person because of this 'executive decision' to get more color on the small screen.  I know you all can't see my face, but this is my 'Did you really just say that' stare.  If executives are reacting to a black audience, what is wrong with a show featuring what the people want.  And the article missed the real point of the scenario - two white people got the roles at first.  Hmmm, I wonder why?  Was it because they were the best choices for the roles?  Has that been the case for all of the history of actors getting roles for TV? Cause there are some great black actors and actresses that have been passed up time and time again.  Let's be for real.  Though there is a definite interest in getting more black people and other POC into roles on television, there isn't going to be a shortage of White leads anytime soon.

And here is possibly the most glaring point that the author is missing while talking about these faceless execs and their call for diversity.  It's not just that black people have been popping up on the small screen as of late, but it's WOMEN that have been leading on TV for the past few years.  I noticed that female led shows were about 50% back in 2012.  And the number has increased by my estimates.  Even if you look at Empire you know that the show would not have been as big of a hit without Taraji P. Henson's dynamic character.

There was one thing the article did mention which made me think.   These producers should know that they can't cater to a black or a female audience just by featuring a gender or a race and think it will be okay.  The stories have to be engaging and the acting on point.  I don't agree with miss 'too much diversity' in her example of Undercovers.  That show, which was produced by J.J. Abrams, was supposed to be a campy homage to Hart To Hart.  But people didn't get it.  The show would have failed if it starred a white couple or a black couple or any other couple.  Personally though, I don't know how you all could not watch the beautiful Gugu Mbatha-Raw in anything she did.  Now this is me giving you the side-eye.

Anyway, I do think that these network heads should be careful not to get all hasty and just throw together a show because they are thinking too shallow.  One way they can avoid that mistake is to keep green-lighting projects that are created by POC and give them the jobs of also directing and producing them.  That's how it works people.  And I ultimately would love to see some of the black owned television stations be able to create and acquire the ratings that these major networks are getting with their own original programming.  Now that is something that we can have an effect on just through our community.  But that's another post, isn't it.

I haven't said enough to criticize the deadline article over each point to point.  I wanted to mostly talk about the shift in programming, and what seems to be happening and who is really behind it.  But if you want to read how someone truly tore the article up, check out Awesome Luvvie's response!  She hit it dead on I think.

I can't wait for more shows with leads of color.  I can't wait for more people of color to be featured behind the camera and the scripts.  I reeeeally can't wait until we see more shows like Extant with Halle Berry and other Sci-Fi and fantasy that represent us in the future, and in genres that our black geek nation love.  You could call the shift a 'Trend' like Nellie said in that dismissive and kinda petty way, but I instead like what Shonda Rhimes defined it as when she referred to what we are seeing as 'Normalizing' TV.

3 Reasons Why Some Black People Should Admit They Are Geeks!

OR IN OTHER WORDS:

" HOW TO GET BLACK GEEKS TO COME OUT OF THE TARDIS"

(I think Martha was already a bit of a geek.  So she don't count!)

I  COULD NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT MY LOVE OF ALL THINGS NERDY!

I never had much trouble admitting that I was a geek.  I loved science and got all into astronomy as a kid.  Joined the astronomy club in high school.  Brought a part of my comic collection to school.  Talked about Sci-fi with my co-workers.  Nope! I didn't really have much trouble talking about my love of the nerd life.

It was always easy to find other geeks to talk to.  I could mention something about Star Trek and another geek was usually just a stone's throw away.  But black geeks were much more rare to find. My throwing arm wasn't that strong.  Were they really that hard to find though?  Or was it just hard for some (thankfully not all) black people to admit that they were geeks or nerds.

We all know that the term Geek or Nerd had such a strong connotation to it that some people in some cultures stayed far away from it.  They were repelled like two magnets with the same north poles pointing to each other.  Sometimes those words became fighting words.  But every now and then, when I talked about different films or TV shows or comics, these brothers and sisters were right with me.  Have you ever brought up the Twilight Zone series among a group of dudes just hangin' out?  "Yo, what about that one with the hot chick and all them ugly dudes calling her the ugly one?  That's my shizznit!"

BLACK GEEKS ARE ALL AROUND US,  JUST BEHIND THE CURTAINS

There are a lot of black people that truly like the things that we who are openly geek also love.  I was talking to one brother not too long ago who was about my age.   He was like "Everybody collected comics when I was a kid so I don't understand when someone talks about they don't get into them."  I agreed, noticing that when I talked to a lot of brothers, they indeed read comics as a kid (rarely the sisters though).  Of course, as with anybody from any culture, the peer pressure of 'growing up' and other distractions can make you forget about your comic collecting.   My thing is, you know some of the main characters; so don't act like you don't.

I think it's definitely been changing since geek culture has become mainstream culture.  But there are still a lot of black people that just don't talk openly about what they like in geek culture.

That's where I want to see black people admit that they are geeks.  They don't actually have to call themselves geeks or nerds, or even afronerds or fanbros.  I just want to see brothers and sisters not be reserved about what they get into.  And also I want them to understand that just because they identify with those terms or those passions it doesn't mean that's the only thing they are.  A black person can be any number of things all at once.  A geek and a jock.  A nerd and a cool chic.

UNDERCOVER GEEKS MIGHT BE MISSING OPPORTUNITIES

One reason that I want to see more black people talk about Sci-fi and fantasy and other genre stuff is that it might give them an opportunity to connect with other peeps that like the same stuff.  I've already seen it with my own friends that I've had to convince were undercover geeks.  "Dude, you like comics, The Matrix, loved Twilight Zone when you finally watched it.  And you watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nick... How are you Not a Geek Negro??"  They didn't want to admit it at first, but then the walls started coming down and they saw the truth in the mirror.

And when those walls start to come down and that guard eases up a little, you can see the excitement come out of a black person when you talk about some of the stuff that they appreciate.  Now they know it's cool to talk about these things and that there are actually other people that won't look at them crazy.

HEY, WHAT ARE YOU WRITING?

Another reason: the side effect of brothers and sisters admitting they are geeks is that they can feel comfortable talking about their creative ideas.  I met a young brother that was a friend of my son.  I asked him what he was getting into these days.  This kid said he was trying to write a novel.  I was like "That's awesome. What kind? What genre?"  He said in a slightly embarrassed and understated way "It's a romantic comedy story."  I was like "THAT'S AWESOME.  I'm writing a Rom-Com script right now!"  He totally lit up and got excited.  That's what I want for millions of black creatives across the world to feel like when talking about their creative passions.  I dread hearing about the family that tells a young person that writing science fiction or drawing superheroes or messing with software languages is a waste of time.  When they grow up, how are they going to talk about that stuff openly?  I'll tell you how, they can talk to us liberated nerds. 

A TRIBE CALLED BLERD

My last reason is a selfish one.  I just want to see my black geek tribe grow bigger and bigger.  I want to see more black people go to science fiction film festivals and conventions, and meet up with others who like what they do.  I want to see black people fall in love with each other because they secretly love Battlestar Galactica and they can finally watch anime while snuggling up next to someone.  I want to see these brothers and sisters add to the overall conversation about people of color represented in the future when it comes to fictional stories.  I just want to see a community filled with black people who are even more comfortable with themselves, have self knowledge, and connect with each other because of it.

ISLANDS OF AFRO-AWKWARDNESS

And even when some black people finally admit that that are geeks, it's still hard for them to find others like them in the sea of Caucasian geekdom.  I hear it all the time - "Wow, I never knew there was a community of black geeks. Thanks Geek Soul Brother and Black Girl Nerds!"

I'm a dreamer of course.  But I know that there is strength in numbers, growth in community and love in family.  I feel great when I'm talking to black geeks, nerds, fanbros and afronerds.  I feel great just hearing them talk to each other.  I just want others to feel the same.

Funky Q' Review: THROUGH A LENS DARKLY: BLACK PHOTOGRAPHERS

Though a documentary may be enjoyable to a general audience, a particular subject may be more than just entertaining to a select people.

THROUGH A LENS DARKLY is a film that follows the growth of black photographers from the 1800s to the most famous of recent times.  Writer / Director Thomas Allen Harris shapes a story that uncovers the rich visual culture that has been mostly hidden to viewers and even true lovers of the art form.  To the black audience this collection and narration is a revealing testament that black people of almost every era have been active artist of photography since the ability to capture an image was invented.

The story starts out with Harris talking about his own introduction to photography and how his father and grandfather were at opposing ends of embracing the camera.  Harris' father gave him and his brother cameras and their first taste of looking through a lens.  But it was his grandfather that inspired Harris to take up the camera as a way of capturing ones own spirit.

There were interviews with several renowned photographers of the modern age that talked about their own work, but also about moments in history where visionaries were either praised in the industry or undiscovered by all but a few.  Among the artists who spoke were Deborah Willis, producer of the film and author of the book "Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present" which the theme of the film was shaped around.

Most striking was how the story brings to the surface so many images of black people in the mid 1800 to 1900s that were stylish, beautiful, educated, well to do, animated, hard working, regal and present in their reality.  There were photos taken in black studios and candidly among the black community.  But countering these beautiful images were the documentation of the plethora of images that mainstream American media used to dismantle, defame and degrade black people since the inception.  For me, the paradox of the use of photography was condensed into a moment where Harris called it a War Of Images.

But the essence of the film did not dwell on the negative, but gave the uniformed audience a fresh new realization of how black people have infused themselves into photography for the last 150 years; as they have in all other art forms.  It leaves you with the sense of how important it is for a people to control and shape their own image in society.  And I personally admire this film because of my interest in photography for most of my life.  I give THROUGH A LENS DARKLY 4 out of 5 Cosmic Afros.  At the time of this post you can find it on Netflix.

Adventures of a New (and clueless) Comic Fan

Guest Post by Pirate Jenny

I always knew that one day, I'd want to do it.

I figured, if I was going to go through with it, I needed to do it sooner rather than later.

But what if I don't know what to do? What if I make a fool of myself? The concerns raced on.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, the wondering was getting to me. I had to just get on with it, if I truly wanted to know what it was like. I had to see for myself.

I had to bite the bullet, and visit a comic book store.

I've heard and read about these great experiences that others have had about hanging out at their local comic store, that it's a place they value that brings fun and connection for them. I've wanted to experience that for myself, and I've had a daydream or ten about what these visits look like. I imagine the regulars mosey in and peruse the aisles, loudly swapping banter with the employees. Because I had yet to visit a comic store, I had no real concept of what was discussed, but my imagination suggested discourse that was heady, reflective of a deep fervor for all things illustrative, or tech, or...well, how the hell should I know, I’d yet to go there.

I feel pretty confident that I’ve been completely romanticizing this experience (as I tend to do with most things), and that in fact, I would probably just come across a very boring old store that had folks trying to get the latest issues and be on their way. Or worse, find nothing but irritation as I completely made a fool of myself trying to maneuver that space. Nevertheless, I was still excited to carry out my goal.

A sunny Saturday arrived. After a quick Google search, I found the nearest store in my area, and headed over. Pulled into the parking lot, and walked in. A gentleman was standing in the nearest aisle, a few comics in tow as he checked out the selections. He quickly glanced at me, then returned to his search. Strange, I thought. He’s supposed to be giving me the stink eye. I continued on. I end up near two guys deep in conversation about Marvel-something-or-other. I quickly try to learn the store’s layout and organization, all while trying to find my desired comic (Storm). What was old? What was new? Do I just seek out a section that says Storm? Or are things listed by author? Who wrote Storm? I should probably know that. “I need so much help,” I muttered.

“Do you need help, ma’am?” Weird. He’s supposed to be completely unaffected by my business.

I replied, “Sure. I’m just looking for something for my nephew.”

What? Why do I feel the need to throw my ten-year-old nephew into this?!

The employee, one of the two gentlemen chatting, walks up to me. “What specific comic do you need?”

“Oh. “Star Wars”. He’s into that “Rebels” show right now.” I’m a mess.

The employee was kind of enough to take his time showing me comics for my nephew, and as I take the comics and listen to his reasons behind his recommendations, I feel like a jackass for even lying about my visit in the first place. Here’s this comic store employee, completely willing to help me, not the least bit pretentious. And here I am, afraid to be honest about what I don’t know and what I want to know, so much so that I’d rather spend money on comics for a kid who won’t even read them (trust me, he won’t; watching a tv show title sequence is about as much reading as he likes to dive into).

He finishes his suggestions. It’s now or never girl.

“Um, do you happen to have, uh, “Storm” I guess?” Do not ask or wonder why I phrased the question that way.

“I do. That’s a good one, I like that series.”

Success!

We didn’t chat too much about the comic, just a few comments on the importance of the series. But it was nice all the same. I paid for the comics, and thanked him for his help. “Come back and see us,” he said with a warm smile.

I’ve yet to revisit that store, but I’m certainly sold on the comic store experience. I’m anxious to learn more, to see everything else that’s out there. With comics there seems to be such an expansive culture of narratives. And frankly, you’re not born a comic guru; you have to start somewhere. So while this new territory definitely overwhelms me, if I start small, and look to some trustworthy folks for great suggestions, I think I’ll have fun with all of this.

Pirate Jenny works with youth and their communities.  She observes, live tweets and enjoys copious amounts of Skittles.  She wishes she wrote more.  You can usually find her on Twitter: @pirate_jenn

Dating at the Speed of Light: A Marvel Concept

A Guest Post By Sistah Geek

I have plenty of stories to share about my escapades into the Realm of Speed Dating. I’ve lived to tell these tales so, sit back, relax, take a few aspirin and listen as I share “Dating at the Speed of Light: A Marvel Concept.”

Since you can pretty much use Google to look up anything you wish, there won’t be a history of the origins of speed dating listed in this article. This is more a showcase of my experiences, my reactions, and what I took away from the encounters. I am definitely not touting myself as an expert and this is not a dating-how-to guide. It’s just plain old unadulterated fun with bits of “No HE didn’t” moments thrown in for good measure.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Preparing to Play: Once you arrive at the event location, you are given a badge that may either have your first name on it or a number. This badge will be your specific identifier for each person you “date.”

The Basics: Depending on the organizer’s budget, you’ll either get a fancy pre-printed score card or a small blank sheet of haphazardly ripped computer paper used to keep track of the people you speak to during your “dates.” These are timed “dates” where you’ll have three to six minutes to see if you make a connection. Unless you have somehow managed to retain an eidetic memory since childhood, do not expect to recall everything about everyone you encounter.

How it Works: The organizers will use some sort of signal (i.e. gong, symbol, chimes, or shouting) to indicate the end of a “date.” Once this signal is given, the men move on to the next woman in line (oh, yes, I meant to write it just like that) and everyone repeats the process. During this shifting time (usually less than 30 seconds) you’ll have the opportunity to use the score card to rate your “date.” The key here is to be brief but concise to help you remember what was said. Keeping it to “Yes/No” and maybe one or two interesting tidbits is far better than writing a dissertation on the reason why you wouldn’t go out with him if he were the last man to walk the planet even if your biological clock was a ticking bomb. You won’t have the time!

And the Winner Is: At the end you tally up your score card and see if your “Yes, I’d like to see him again” matches with his, “Yes, I’d like to see her again.” If so, a connection is born and you take it from there (without the organizers). If there is no connection, then you come away with an experience for the ages! Plus, how else will you get that many dates in one evening and not go to jail?

My Story: I became intrigued with the concept of speed dating when I relocated back to the US after living in Japan and NOT HAVING ANY dating prospects while there (living in a small rural town up in the mountains kind of limits a foreign girl’s choices). After watching “Hitch” and “The 40-year-old Virgin,” I talked a friend into signing up for a local event sponsored by Cupid.com. I had no idea what to expect, but luckily the organizers were magnificent and put together a fun-filled event. Although no love connections were made, I still had a wonderful time and conversed with some fascinating men.

From that moment on, I was a little hooked and started attending events throughout the area with different single friends as a way to spice up a Friday evening and get out of the non-dating blahs. It got to a point where I was attending one event a month and at one point I attended a Lock-n-Key party at one of the local restaurants. This party consisted of the women being given pad locks to carry while the men were given keys. The purpose was for each man to walk around the room and find the lock that his key would open. In the process of making this discovery, he’d strike up conversations along the way while trying his key in many different locks. Okay, just reading this back makes it sound so much worse than it was! No wonder I never attended another such party!

My interest in speed dating started to wane when event after event I was typically the only POC in attendance or if there were other POC women there, I was the only one with the chocolate-hued skin. Although the events did not categorize by ethnicity, and I was an equal opportunity dater, it seemed that most of the men (even the occasional Brotha) were often surprised to see me there and did not seem too keen on dating a Sistah. Was their hesitance due to my Angela Davis afro and my Soul Sistah earrings? Hmmmmm. I refuse to believe it actually had anything else to do with ME!

A few years passed before I attended another speed dating event. It happened when I purchased tickets for a comic book convention and there was a special event for speed dating. Oh! My radar went off on that. What better way to meet like-minded people than to speed date at a convention while wearing a costume? I was in! Especially since all the male slots were already full for each session for all three days of the CON! (Uh oh, shoulda listened to that red flag!)

Here are my most memorable experiences:

The Good: Choco-latte. The world was moving in slow motion as I watched this guy with a killer swagger, ripped muscles beckoning, bald head glistening, and a smile to die for walk the three feet to where I was seated. He was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S and I was secretly squealing inside (odd, since I never thought I was much of a squealer). When he sat down, all I could think was that he was a nerd/geek and I was expecting the cure for cancer to fall from his lips. Instead he just said, “Hi” and asked me what video games I played. I hesitated because he sounded so familiar to me… his voice…I’d heard it before. I responded that I didn’t play any video games at the moment, but wanted to learn. As I listened to him talk, I kept trying to figure out why he sounded so familiar...somewhere in my memory banks…yes…I got it now…Steve Urkel! This revelation snapped me out of my day dream and I began to focus more clearly on what he was saying. Other than asking me about the video game I played, he never asked me another question but proceeded to tell me about all the games he played, how many conventions he went to, and how many comic books he read. I did manage to ask if he did anything else, but he gave me a blank stare as though to say, “What else is there?” WHAT???! After that, all I did was stare at his arms and wonder, “Do you do the pushups in your basement?” Bad me! But so much potential! It was heartbreaking when those three minutes were up!

The Bad: No Love for the ‘Fro. There was the guy who wanted to know why I was wearing an Afro. Initially I thought he was genuinely interested in my character, but when I explained about her, he then chastised me for wearing an Afro in “these days and times.” He went on to smugly tell me that the Afro was outdated and my character should be updated in the comics. I sat there in shock for a minute before telling him, “I wear an Afro in my daily life and I don’t need to be updated.” Just as I was about to read him more of the riot act, the signal was given for our next “date.” Talk about Saved By the Bell!

The Ugly: Time for Adventure. There was the guy who dressed as Finn from Adventure Time. It was all good because the majority of us were dressed in some sort of costume. What was NOT good was that this guy decided to remain in character as Finn. Mind you, I didn’t know much about the show so all I saw was a grown man with what looked like white underoos on his head, some sort of knapsack on his back, wearing skin tight shorts, and carrying something that looked like a paper sword. My mind was in overdrive trying to put this all together, but when he stood up on the chair, thrust the sword into the air, and started chanting in a child-like voice, I almost lost it. I was dressed as a Gao’uld from Stargate. Shoulda taken my symbiote out and smacked him with it!

Synopsis: Don’t be afraid to try speed dating whether at a convention or an event at your neighborhood restaurant. It is a great way to meet people and although I haven’t found my “one” I would definitely be up for trying again!

If you do venture out and try speed dating, remember to bring these three items with you to the event:

1. Sense of Humor
2. Sense of Adventure
3. Sense of You (know your 30second ad)

Sistah Geek is an avid world traveler, lifelong storyteller, sci-fi/fantasy/horror devotee, sporadic runner, budding cosplayer, comic book collector, gamer-in-training, and a self-proclaimed Cool Blerd with geek tendencies. Her mission in life is to show little girls of all hues how to embrace their talents, accept their uniqueness, and follow their dreams. She spends her free time volunteering, trying new recipes, writing letters (with pen and paper, people), working out, and staying one step ahead of her two Dobermans. Twitter:  @S_Hero4Hire