It's BBQ Time

The unofficial start to summer was this week and just in time came the roasts of all roasts: Spike Lee skewered Tyler Perry. Opinions deferred on Spikes assessment of Tyler's body of work, who likens it to coonin' and buffoonery. Can't say I don't agree on many levels. Others would argue Tyler is simply entertaining folks and who are we to call into play the taste of millions of our good sistas and brothas who find his brand of down-home comedy appealing. Not my taste and certainly not what makes me laugh, but can't say I haven't chuckled at Madea. I can separate coonin' from Uncle Tommin', shuckin' and jivin' from get-over-yourself- lighten-up- and-laugh-at-our- differences-and selves-itain't-that-serious-type stuff. Secretly been waiting for someone to sock it to Madea, whom I liken to a modern day Aunt Jemima, and her alter-ego and creator Tyler Perry, whom we've heralded as the new King of Black Hollywood, the one to save the genre. Not mad at Tyler's grind, just think there are other movies I'd like to see that don't star a man in a dress, a non-acting Pop Tart, same-performance-every-time Denzel or Will Smith, who stopped being a regular Black cat years ago. So Spike, I give it to you for having the courage to say what others have been whispering for years but were too scared to make waves and talk about other Black folks openly--wouldn't. Like the folks who destroyed Hip Hop whom I liken to modern day minstrels, Tyler's Meet the Browns and other characters are setting us back just a tad and relegating those of us with good script ideas and talent to what we've always been forced to do in Hollywood--comedy. Oy.

Now on to roasting of another kind. Wendy Williams Queen Roast a Bitch had her TV talkshow picked up and will be on daily beginning July. This after the critics and viewing audience roasted her ass for setting daytime talk shows back to the days of Robert Downey Jr.. I do have to say she has handed it to a few well deserving egomaniacs, but damn can she learn to read the prompter and not be so mean? Has she looked in the mirror lately? Makes Madea look good and could have been a real contender on RuPaul's Drag Race. I'm just sayin'...How you doin'?!

And speaking of my turn to roast someone, what's up with Kelly I -can't-find-my-lane-since-I left-Destiny's-Child Rowland, co-hosting Bravo's Project Runway pales in comparison replacement The Fashion Show? When did she become a fashion expert? Because she sits on the front row at a few runway shows, now she's a host and giving advice to retail aspiring designers??? Might want to start with your former girl group partner and that crap of a clothing line she calls high fashion--House of Dereon. Like the line goes when a contestant is booted off: "We're just not buying it".

And because, I had to carry the BBQ/roasting folks theme to the end, check out what has to be the funniest roast of a comedian trying to roast someone--ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpmu6efVRk4

That's it. Back to the vineyard