OK, there are way too many reality shows on television today. Somebody needs to say it so I will. Well, I guess I already have, so there!

Seriously, I’m tired of hearing about new reality shows coming on the boob tube, especially these ‘hybrid reality’ shows as I like to call them. You know the ones. They usually are on cable, they star some washed up star/person that is related to a star/ex-reality star.

Yes, I’m talking about each of these shows plus a hundred others like them: The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Flavor of Love, Toya & Tiny, Frankie and Neffe, Hammertime (sorry Hammer), and etc., etc. I mean Hammertime is okay, but it’s just a copy of Run’s House (which is really just clean version of The Osbournes). To me, this is just lazy programming by cable television networks. The biggest culprits are VH1, BET and MTV. Do they produce any scripted shows anymore. Have they ever? Oh and yes, remember that each of these stations gained popularity when they actually started off playing music videos (sorry kids, i know you have know idea what I’m talking about–music videos on a real TV?? Wow!!).

So You Think You Can Dance

Now I’m not mad at what I call ‘traditional reality’ shows like American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice (before the ‘celebrities’ showed up), So You Think You Can Dance, The Real World (the grandfather of them all), Top Chef and etc. These shows are original, they usually involve some type of competition, and they gave some actual level of realness. Plus I like most of these shows. They’re getting old, and I’d rather see some real shows on in most of  their time slots, but hey, you can’t win them all.

But these hybrids are going way too far. So many of them involve hip hop stars in some way too. Recently I read that T.I. and Lil Wayne’s teenage daughters are shopping a reality show. Yes, the daughters of Tiny & Toya; T.I. and Lil Wayne’s babies’ mommas who already have their own show on BET. Sad thing about it is that it will probably get picked up and will be watched by a lot of easily influenced teenagers.

One of my biggest complaints about these shows is that they aren’t even real! It’s just a bunch of fake arguments/fights set up by the producers to make ‘good television’. Get the ratings and that’s about it. Real Housewives of Atlanta pulled in 2.8 million viewers when it premiered its second season last week, the most for any Bravo premiere. And the ‘highlight’ that I saw from the show (no, I did not watch the show) was with Sheree, one of the housewives, arguing with a flamboyant event planner almost to the point of throwing blows, supposedly. I seriously doubt if it was real. 

Real Housewives of Atlanta

So this is what television has become, huh? It’s like the decline in music is now creeping it’s way into all other aspects of the entertainment culture. Are films next? I certainly hope not. Somebody has to stop this before it goes too far. Please let these shows kill them selves. Quit watching and promoting this garbage and let’s get some REAL(ity) shows back on TV.

Wu-Tang producer/emcee RZA will be co-starring in the upcoming comedy Funny People which is set to hit theaters on July 31. The film, directed by Judd Apatow, also stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann.

The film is about a very successful stand up comedian (Sandler) who learns that he has an untreatable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live.

At a red carpet interview for the premier of Funny People, RZA tells MTV:

“[The Apatow] style of comedy is like hip-hop. Seth and those guys are Wu-Tang fans; we talked a lot about hip-hop. He knows a lot of lyrics.”

Check out the trailer after the break.

The Tenth Anniversary of the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival (July 27-Aug 2, 2009) will be screening the independent film Rhyme Animal (directed by Phil Roc and co-written /co-produced by Aaron Schnore and Billy Fox).

Rhyme Animal tells the tale of DJ Judah (Al Thompson), a Brooklyn DJ who rides the coat tails of a rising hip hop star, Shiva (Craig muMs Grant). As the rapper’s reputation grows, his lyrics become twisted, cannibalistic…yet prophetic. As killings occur, DJ Judah is forced to ask if Shiva’s sinister lyrics are an act or those of a cannibalistic serial killer.

Accolades for the film include Winner Best Short Film of the Spaghetti Junction Urban Film Festival and Finalist of the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) Independent Pilot Competition and National Association of Television Program Executives’ NextTV Competition. It was an Official Selection at the Cannes-Short Film Corner, Brooklyn International Film Festival, Coney Island International Film Festival, and the Rhythm of the Line Hip Hop Film Festival.

Rhyme Animal screens at the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival on Sunday, Aug 2 at SVA Theater Screen 1 at 5:15pm. You can get more information about the film at www.rhymeanimalmovie.com. For mare information about the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival visit www.NYLatinoFilm.com

What’s up peeps. We are back from a a ‘brief extended’ break. Sorry for the delay in updates but it’s time to get it crackin’ again.

Be sure to leave some comments and make the site as interactive as possible. This is your site too… i just operate it.

50 saves Elmo’s life.

Check out more of Mos Def on BET’s 106 & Park promo’ing his new CD, The Ecstatic, which drops June 9 (get it right Roxy).

If you’ve watch any TV over the past week, I’m sure you’ve seen the latest Dr. Pepper campaign featuring none other than west coast all-star Dr. Dre. Dre is preparing to release the forthcoming album Detox later this year.

The commercial features a sneak peak instrumental to a song off of Detox. Tell us what you think.

Early 1990s popular rapper MC Hammer has a reality show debuting this Sunday at 10pm EST on A&E.  Hammertime is described as focusing on the Hammer family as they live their not-so-simple lives in Tracy, California.  Having a family and re-launching the Hammer empire is not an easy task, but with wisdom, faith and relentless tenacity to strive through any adversity, this family is stronger than ever.

In an interview with TVSquad.com Hammer describes what we’ll see on Hammertime:

Throughout these ten or eleven episodes… through music, technology, family, holidays, birthdays, trials and tribulations, at the end of the day, you’ll find a family that is inspirational and hopeful. In this current environment that we find ourselves in in America and the world, family and love of family at the end of the day is more important than anything. I think that’s what you’ll find very interesting and we hope will keep you watching the series.

I was never a big MC Hammer fan back in the day, although I did dig some of his songs, especially some of the early ones (like the one below). But I may have to DVR this and check it out to see what Hammer has been up to.  Well if you follow him on Twitter then you should have some clue.

Current TV has a dope video of Mos Def roaming the streets of Osaka, Japan dropping a dope a capella of “Casa Bey” off of his upcoming CD “The Ecstatic”.

“The Ecstatic” was supposed to drop June 9 on Downtown Records, but fans will have to wait until August for its release. Oh well, we have to wait a few more months JUNE 9 for some real hip hop music. Check out the video in the multimedia box to the top-right of the page—>.

To no one’s surprise, the stunt performed by Sasha Cohen’s character, Bruno, on Eminem on last weekend’s MTV Movie Awards was just that… a stunt.  Eminem said he went back to the hotel and laughed. Interesting…