In Memory of Heavy D

 By now I'm sure you've heard the shocking and tragic news about the man who called himself the Overweight Lover. Best known as one of the most influential rappers of the early 90s, Heavy D was one of the rappers to embrace the party rap style by not making music laced with profanity, sex, or drug use. He just rapped about everyday life.
 As a kid, I appreciated his music because it was one of the few times I could listen to rap and understand clearly what was being said without asking my parents. My personal favorite song was, "We Got Our Own Thing" but his biggest hit was a rap remake of "Now That We Found Love" featuring Aaron Hall. He also contributed the theme song for most seasons of the now classic "In Living Color."
 His rap career cooled in the mid 90s with the official takeover of gangsta rap, but he forayed into acting quite successfully. In addition to a guest stint on "Living Single" he also guest starred on shows like " A Different World", "Bones" and "Law & Order: SVU." He also appeared in films like "Step Up" and the recently released "Tower Heist."
 But the real mark of his impact was the major respect he received from rappers of all kinds in the past few hours. There were no negative words, just memories of laughter, love, and support. But it just goes to show that no matter how you live your life, all that matters is who you touched and how you impacted the world around you.

Drake's Album Leaks

 If you haven't heard, the sweater-loving Bill Cosby of hip-hop, Drake, has had his latest album Take Care leak. Drake himself isn't offended or upset. This is probably because he knows this will only build anticipation for the official release by offering a sneak peak of the tracks.
With this leak, there is a listing of lyrics from various tracks were again he mentions Rihanna for the thousandth time. I would just like to understand why he wants to keep bringing this up? Is this his version of hip-hop or is he just trying to attract attention from the public? Either way, I don't think it's necessary. Mainly because his relationship with RiRi wasn't even that long. It's one thing if they had a years long love affair like some of music's other famous couples. But also because it's just irritating. It would be like me lamenting about the fool who stole the lock on my locker in 7th grade. I understand his need for closure but how about doing it with the help of a therapist?
No matter what happens, this only serves to help build Drizzy's profile as one of the elite of hip-hop's new class. And that isn't a surprise considering he's being mentored by my favorite Gremlin, Lil' Wayne. While he continues to redefine his career by rapping and singing in  such a way that gets our attention. Whether or not it is good is highly debatable.
 But what I do find interesting about Drake is that he's honest about fame and what it has done to his life. Unlike many rappers who boast about swag and girls, he seems to understand the fleeting nature of it all. Hopefully he will continue to do this in such a way that keeps us all listening. But once again I ask, if you are going to talk about an ex-girlfriend, go to therapy first.

Kermit and Crew Back Again!

 I usually don't get excited for rehashes of pop culture greats and I'm not just talking about recent flicks like The A-Team and Charlie's Angels. I was gravely offended when Ferris Bueller himself thought he could out gadget the original Inspector Gadget in the late 90's. But "The Muppets" is coming back with help from none other than Jason Segel.
 For those of you who don't know who he is, Jason Segel co-starred in this summer's "Bad Teacher," co-wrote and co-starred in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" back in 2008 in addition to being one of television's all-time best husbands Marshall Erickson in "How I Met Your Mother." And I'm predicting that if he re-energizes the brand of Kermit, Ms. Piggy and company, he'll become a real threat to become a movie star once "How I Met Your Mother" ends soon.
 The previews for "The Muppets" look awesome. Segel costars with the lovely Amy Adams and Rashida Jones makes a cameo which is even better. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Segel mentioned that there will be a new muppet added to the gang named Walter. While the premise is not knew, the fact that Segel decidedly wanted to help push the Muppets into the 21st century is great for several reasons.
 I hate to say it but cartoons and children's programming nowadays aren't the same. Either they are exclusively aimed at young, developing preschoolers or way too advanced for their age tweens. There's no quirky middle ground. Even back in the 1990s when I was growing up there was great programming on both Disney and Nickelodeon that you could watch and not get bored or offended by watching.
 "The Muppet Babies" cartoon was one of them. It featured Fozzie, Gonzo, getting into various situations and acting a fool but they learned a critical lesson at the end. Parents could also appreciate the fact that they didn't sneak in strange innuendo like "Spongebob." It was good, clean fun.
 And hopefully with a new sensibility, we'll being seeing more of Kermit and company.

Muppets Redux

Turkey or Gaga?

 If you haven't heard the artist formerly  known as Stefani Germanotta has an upcoming Thanksgiving special airing on ABC on Turkey Day. It will feature an interview with Gaga and Katie Couric. This special follows in the vein of several concert specials featuring artists like Britney Spears, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Jusitn Timberlake airing on various networks over the past few years.
 And while I don't know the ratings on all of these specials, they have definitely raised the profile on many of these artists. However, by the time these specials aired, it wasn't really necessary because many people had already knew who they were through other mediums. But it does add a nice treat in response to the ridiculous amount of football games that air over the weekend.
 What I really would like is a concert special featuring the various charity concerts many celebrities put on, but due to pricing and geographical issues, most of us can't see them beyond a grainy YouTube post. For instance, Alicia Keys hosted her 8th annual Black Ball to support AIDS treatment worldwide and Justin Timberlake put on his annual Shriners' Golf Tournament and Concert for Shriners' Hospital. While it was great fundraising, it would have been better to air it to a national audience who might be willing to donate.
 Now I know some of you little monsters want to see Mother Monster, but I prefer my uncle's fried turkey rather than her sociopolitical eggs.