Monthly Archives: June 2010
EarCandy #1: Chromeo & Janelle Monae
Music making me happy these days: {CHROMEO} Thanks to Mike over at PopBlerd for re-introducing me to Chromeo, via this crazy-good new track “Don’t Turn the Lights On,” from their upcoming album Business Casual. Part of me is sorta stuck … Continue reading
The SPB Q: Alisa Valdes
{I first discovered the work of Alisa Valdes back in 2003 when her first novel The Dirty Girls Social Club was published (under her then name Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez) to wide acclaim and fanfare, with some critics calling her the “Latina … Continue reading
Filed under books, General Fabulousness, The SPB Q
Driving Miss Redgrave…right to the Tonys…
Talk about two theater giants sharing their gifts with the world…Two of my favorite actors, James Earl Jones, who in the past 5 years has done On Golden Pond and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof on Broadway, and Vanessa … Continue reading
Filed under theater
Your Cheatin’ Heart or, TV’s Dirty (Middle-Aged) White Dudes
PRE-SCRIPT: Last year I wrote up a little thing about an odd trend I’d noticed on TV of late: Why does it seem like all the leading men characters on the “quality” TV shows that I love to watch, especially … Continue reading
Filed under drama queens, How Men Are, TV
New PRINCE Album? Yeah, if you use Pounds & Euros…!
According to Rolling Stone, Prince, who was just awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from BET the other night, is prepping a “funk and new-wave heavy” new record—which will only come out in Germany. And another one—which will come out in … Continue reading
The Return of The SPB Q: JUNOT DIAZ
{Last year I started a blog feature known as The SPB Q. I think I started it because I’d recently stopped doing journalism and started to focus on more academic pursuits (I was teaching writing and popular culture at Brown … Continue reading
Filed under books, Junot Diaz, The SPB Q
The ORIGINAL True Blood Tara
After reading my earlier blog post about the True Blood character Tara Thornton, a friend dug up this clip of the actress Brook Kerr, originally cast to play the role. It’s clear from the video below that Kerr took a … Continue reading
Filed under True Blood, TV
On True Blood and the Sad, Dizzy Falseness of Tara
First off, just let me say this. I love black women. There is nothing in this world, to me, as interesting, complex, beautiful or off-the-chart engaging as a black woman who knows what she wants and knows how to make … Continue reading
Filed under True Blood, TV
The Secret Life of Marketing?
I’ve been thinking a bit lately about “audience.” By which I mean, who buys what, and why do they buy it? Where do they buy it, and what gives them the idea to buy? I thought about this a few … Continue reading
A short story by SPB
{The following is a short story I wrote a few years ago, which I dug out to read at an AKA-sponsored reading at Brown University last year, mainly because the story took place in Providence, Rhode Island, and because the … Continue reading
Filed under Fiction
