ChillSpot Online: Our Art is Life

Been a long week, my friends, so here’s all I can offer … some quick hits:

- Sarah Palin (almost) makes me feel better about Republicans!

- But John McCain is eerie, like the Crypt Keeper or something. He never seems to be comfortable, and that’s not what I want as my president.

- And Palin being so conservative makes me pause, like Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 2 being so aroused by Zhang Ziyi that he continually neglected the fact she was trying to KILL HIM.

- Obama can be talking about potato chips and make it sound like the “I have a dream” speech. The man is a true orator. I read something that compared him to Reagan, but there’s one difference in my mind: Reagan was an actor who spent years projecting an image, so it stands to reason that he’d be really good at selling whatever agenda he wished. Obama seems like he’s in his element, it just seems cozy, like he was meant to be in that position. Is that enough to warrant a bid in the White House?

- Penn State coach Joe Paterno won his 373rd game today. In a 66-10 drubbing of a patsy who shall remain nameless to protect relatives of the shame. With all the dubious scheduling practices (paying less-talented teams to come be beaten on in your stadium), I don’t think win-loss records are worth squat. Major college sports are a sham, carved around the notion that kids love sports and will play hard, and parents will support them.

- Michigan lost. Just saying it makes me happy.

- The Cincinnati Bengals cut Rudi Johnson and Willie Anderson, yet brought Chris Henry (he of the many arrests) back to the squad?!?! *WTFIGOH!!!!

- To those who hacked my site: Please leave lil ol me alone! My five regular readers (down from six, Ethel May Jones, from Big Fort, Texas died last week of complications from the gout) like to visit without crappy coding errors all up and down the page. But thanks too! Just like when I lost my Blackberry down the sewer, I came back better (once I cleaned dirt from my wounds and washed raw sewage from my person).

* (What the Fuck Is Going On Here?!?!?)

With apologies to those looking forward to reading this section sooner, what with the slew of celeb and pop deaths going around, I’m going to cover these in bulk, before things build too much and I become de facto obit writer for the forseeable future. From the top!

Bernie Mac (1957)
The Mac Man died last Saturday at 50, and it was the second time the comedy world was shaken this year, after the passing of legendary comedian George Carlin months ago. One of the Original Kings of Comedy (and by far the funniest, if you ask me), Mac, for all his talk about sex, was married to his wife for 32 years. Mac had the ability to make ghetto life funny by simply speaking his mind and giving the a look, remember his face when imitating his “retarded” relative in the Kings performance? Classic.
He took it mainstream, and had arguably the funniest show of all the Kings (The Steve Harvey Show was entertaining, but not in the same way as the Bernie Mac Show).

His cameo appearances were likely even more hilarious than his starring roles. Uncle Bobby B Baby (”Transformers”); Jangle Leg (”Life”); Pastor Clever (”Friday”) and Buster, the pissed off husband (”How to be a Player”): I can visualize these moments and they all still pack a comic punch. That was his power. He had the ability to do something small and make it stick in your mind long after the big things were lost. Representing the Chi to the fullest, Bernie Mac went too soon, but left a legacy that will last long after the pain of his death has faded.

Isaac Hayes (1942)
Whether you knew him as Black Moses or Chef, Isaac Hayes transcended several generations with his humor, soulfulness, ecclectic style of dress and maybe most importantly, his music and its effects on the world of R&B and Hip-Hop. I must admit, I never have seen the original Shaft, and the theme song which blasted him into heights has been parodied and used commercially to the point where it seems more comedy than a serious musical effort. I know him best from his role as the “Duke” in “Escape from New York” opposing Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken and from his role in “I’m Gonna Git you Sucka!” I know that some of his work with David Porter (who performed the “Masquerade” song that has been sampled a million times, and featured in many shows, including the “Wire” most recently) is very, very good. He died the day after Mac, who he was sharing a role with in an upcoming movie with Samuel L. Jackson (”Soul Men”). He will be missed.

Julius Carry III (1952)
The name of this Chicago-native may not ring a bell at first, but if you’ve seen “The Last Dragon” (once or 1,000 times like I have) you’ll recognize the following lines: “Am I the meanest? ShoNuff! Am I the prettiest? Shonuff! Am I the baddest mofo low down around this town? Shonuff! Who am I? Shonuff! Who AM I??? SHONUFF! … I CAN’T HEAR YOU?!?! SHONUFF!!!” Other than some notable roles on television and a role in “The Fish that saved Pittsburgh” (it’s a hokey basketball movie), Carry wasn’t that well-known, but he could never have done anything other than the role of Sho’Nuff and he’d have been famous in my book.

His (intentionally?) over-the-top protrayal as Kung-Fu antagonist to would-be hero LeRoy Greene inspired laughs and a wierd sort of admiration for the man in football shoulder pads and a wild and wavy fro who blew a kiss (full of a vanquished foes hair) to a cross-dressing admirer during a movie theatre brawl. At least to me it did. He died Wednesday (causes have not been released yet), but Sho’Nuff will live on, next viewing Sunday at 4 p.m. in my VCR.

LeRoi Moore (1962)
I won’t pretend to much about the Dave Matthews Band, so I’ll just let the release tell it:

LeRoi Moore, the versatile saxophonist whose signature staccato fused jazz and funk overtones onto the eclectic sound of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday of complications from injuries he suffered in an all-terrain vehicle accident, the band said. He was 46.

The music world loses a another star too young.

SPECIAL SHOTS

Fannie Lewis: Locally-known (in Cleveland) big-mouth and shit-starter (but neighborhood icon) Fannie Lewis died last Monday and was buried Saturday. She was the Ward 7 (Hough area) councilmember since 1980 and stood up for the rights of the poor folks in that area. She was 82.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones: She’s not dead yet, but she’s in critical condition after suffering a … as I was writing this a report has added her to the list of the deceased. She suffered an aneurysm in her car Tuesday night, and died today after having little brain function. Tubbs-Jones - a democrat - was the first women to represent Congress from the state of Ohio and was likely to be a superdelegate in the upcoming election. She was 58.

I offer my prayers to the families and friend of those above and in your lives whom you have lost.

See the pretty black lady in the above picture? That’s Sharon Brown, the flight attendant who has filed a lawsuit against Joel Osteen’s wife - Victoria, co-pastor at their mega-church in Houston - Lakewood Church:

Brown accuses Osteen of assaulting her before the start of a 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, Colo. Brown alleges Victoria Osteen threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast during an angry outburst over a stain on her first-class seat. The Federal Aviation Administration fined Victoria Osteen $3,000 for interfering with a crew member.

The story goes on to say:

According to court documents, Brown claims that she suffers from anxiety and hemorrhoids because of the incident and said her faith was affected. She is also suing Osteen for medical expenses for counseling.

I can only say one thing to that: HEMMOROIDS? For real? Seriously??? She scared you so bad you blew a gasket? Damn!

Another miscarriage of justice;
another dead innocent

The U.S. Justice Department yesterday confirmed that the case of a Lima resident who was fatally shot in her home during a police raid seven months ago while she held her infant son in her arms is far from over.
Tarika Wilson, 26, who was black, and her 13-month-old son, Sincere Wilson, were shot in her bedroom in front of her five other children by Lima Police Sgt. Joseph Chavalia. Sergeant Chavalia was acquitted Monday by an all-white jury of misdemeanor negligent homicide and negligent assault charges.

This all happened January 4 during a SWAT team raid of their home. Other officers, firing on pit bulls (which were released by Wilson’s boyfriend, who was the target of the raid), apparently spooked Chavalia, who fired on “a shadowy figure” (according to testimony from Chavalia) which turned out to be a totally compliant Wilson. She was killed, her son had to have a finger amputated.

The U.S. Department of Justice says they’ll look into the case:

“In light of the acquittal of the Lima police officer on two misdemeanor charges relating to the January death of a 26-year-old Lima woman, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, and the [FBI] will conduct an independent review of the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident,” Justice Department spokesman Jamie Hais said yesterday (8/6).

Having seen this kind of thing happen plenty of times in Cleveland and Cincinnati, with the same shitty outcome, I don’t imagine the Feds and their independent review will change anything for this officer, and definitely not for the six children of Wilson, her family or anyone who cared about her. When does it end?

As the riots in Cincinnati should have proven, black folks can’t tear up enough shit to make a dent in the pain that losing loved ones to technicalities involved with the police brings. No boycott, no trial, no fire, no revenge, no amount of political hand-ringing or soft-boiled legislation is going to change the dynamic that exists between black people and the white people in places of authority, and who have the power to use it arbitrarily. There’s been more than enough death to jump start some action, but it never seems to be enough. Why is it never enough?

I have recently awakened from my spring-induced coma (especially with the Indians doing so poorly), to find the NFL is back upon the world. Not only that, but there’s plenty other juicy sports news going on. LeBron and Team USA is on pace to do well, and hopefully win gold in the Olympics, and baseball actually did something interesting BEFORE the playoffs, at the trading deadline, sending high-profile players like Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez to other teams. With the introductions to this piece out of the way, let’s get off into the news and notes:

- It’s nice to see Bill Belichick taking running up the score seriously even in his personal life. The pic above shows him and a relatively hot betty (especially for him) getting some facetime in on the bench during an NBA Finals game.

- Jose Canseco got knocked out by Vai Sikahema. In a celebrity boxing match. Canseco called foul, saying his opponent took it too seriously. It’s a boxing match!?!?

- Steve Smith beat the paste out of a teammate (Ken Lucas), proving that he not only talks a bunch of crap, but will back it up on ANYBODY, even teammates.

- Brett Favre. $20 mil. To NOT PLAY. Any questions?

- Michelle Wie missed another cut in a mens event. She took a quintuple bogey (+5) on a par four, ending her dim hopes again, and further solidifying her rep as a sideshow attraction. All that’s left is the obligatory Playboy spread (within the next two years, we can only hope!), and she can head over to reality TV to continue her search for relevance.

- Griffey made a beautiful catch today, then was promptly removed from the game with a leg cramp. Ugh.

- Ron Artest is taking his “ghetto” ass to Houston, via a trade. I’ve never been there, but I imagine they’ve got plenty of “ghetto” there already, so he should fit right in. He also subtly implied ghetto is a culture. Uh … ghetto isn’t really even a choice, except to those who feel like they have to make it seem like one, because they’re stuck there!