Posts Tagged ‘Eddie Murphy’

With the release of each new Tyler Perry “Madea” or Martin Lawrence “Big Momma” movie, the grumblings once again begin as to the supposed negative imagery of African-American men in drag. The arguments never change, from the “emasculation of Black men” to the alleged box office appeal of negative Black male stereotypes.

Let the Big Momma Madea dragfest begin!

Yes, there’s some truth to those arguments but those are only two variables in a complex equation. In fact, it should be noted they are lesser in nature. History should never be the primary factor in determining future appeal of the genre.

It shouldn’t be…

Think law of diminishing returns.

Yes, it’s also true that drag has been a staple for Black comedians for generations; but history will never be a worthy excuse to not change the future.

The topic of Black men in drag is worthy of discussion in 2011 (hence this editorial); yet it’s more worthy to acknowledge the inherent responsibility of audiences. Friday marks the release of Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son, the third installment of an already tired Martin Lawrence drag franchise.

Yes, it’s tired…very tired.

If having another sequel wasn’t pushing the drag envelope, then surely adding a second drag character surely is. The first two in the series grossed $117 million and $70 million respectively, not accounting for inflation in between time.  How someone thinks this is either an ascending franchise or a potential money-maker, Mo’Kelly is far from sure.  Barring a miracle, expect more diminishing returns for the third episode. If we as African-Americans are uninterested in helping drive such cinematic vehicles, we must act accordingly at the box office.

Martin Lawrence will not be left destitute and homeless if his latest attempt at drag queen humor fails. He will be ok.

In April, Tyler Perry will release Madea’s Big Happy Family, the latest in the life and times of Black America’s favorite, violent “matriarch.”

Personally, Mo’Kelly isn’t bothered by either Martin Lawrence or Tyler Perry donning dresses. It’s more disappointing that we as a community voice such public opposition to these characters and caricatures (yes, google it), yet don’t ardently support meaningful stories when given the option. The onus is on our community. We are the biggest variable.

Speaking of Perry, to his credit, who else would have risked wading into the uncharted waters of Ntozake Shange’s, For Colored Girls? Probably nobody and with good reason. At the risk of contradicting myself, this is where history has been a consistent indicator as to African-American box office habits. It shouldn’t be, but it unfortunately has been. We do not and have not supported Black dramatic cinema. Again, history is not an excuse to avoid changing the future and thanks be to Perry for knowing this to be true. Yet, for his troubles, Perry arguably received more criticism of his film adaptation than actual box office receipts. (The film grossed $38 million).

Perry’s last “drag” movie, Madea Goes to Jail grossed $41 million…in its first weekend.

Priorities?

To be fair, not all of the blame squarely falls on the shoulders of the actors, directors or the audiences. Hollywood as an aggregate has long been in the business of lying to our community. Although it may be rare when African-Americans support Black stories devoid of drag or random acts of foolishness; we aren’t rewarded with sequels or more of the genre when we do. It’s a lie to suggest we won’t support a “Black” romantic comedy when given the option.

The Malcolm D. Lee movie, The Best Man was produced on a budget of $9 million in 1999, yet almost quadrupled its return on the investment with $34 million at the box office and is still a mainstay on cable premium channels, 12 years later.

But Hollywood will quickly greenlight a third “Big Momma’s House” with its verified, steeply declining audience? Hollywood expects Lee to develop new and inventive ways to beg and plead for funding for a sequel to The Best Man, although he has a proven project at his disposal?

Really?

It defies all logic and intellectual honesty. It’s a lie Hollywood continues to tell the African-American community. Nevertheless, we don’t have to continue to buy it…literally. If we as African-Americans are genuinely tired of Black men in drag, then let’s act like it. Don’t support it. Or at the minimum, make room in our disposable income to support more types of movies. Don’t criticize Tyler Perry for trying to offer something more meaningful and turn a blind eye of critique to when Madea puts on “her” dress.

It’s time for consistency on our part.

We can’t control what Hollywood does or the lies it has historically told, on and off the screen. We surely can control how much money Hollywood will make (or lose) in the process going forward.

In other sequel news. “White Chicks 2,” starring Shawn and Marlon Wayans is slated for release later this year. No plans in the works for “Mrs. Doubtfire 2.” Robin Williams declined.

Make of that what you will…

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. For more Mo’Kelly, http://mrmokelly.com. Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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Tracy Morgan (left) and Bruce Willis

As I watch the various trailers and interviews featuring comedic actor Tracy Morgan and his latest movie Cop Out, it invariably makes me wonder where we are in terms of this supposed “post-racial” society.

Post-racial…as in after or beyond the issues of race.

One could argue that if we have reached this supposed Promised Land, we wouldn’t be talking about it to the degree we presently do.  We as a nation acknowledge our “post-industrial” status only as an anecdote; at most as an aside as to why the Big 3 car-makers have failed or why corporate outsourcing to India is both viable and profitable. In other words, we say it as an explanation of the obvious, not an argument to be proven.

The benchmark of course has been the presidency of Barack Obama in this “post-racial” discussion.  What’s not in debate is whether his election was both symbolic and substantive in nature.  What is in question is the ratio between the two.

I Spy

Symbolically and substantively, the pairing of Robert Culp and comedian Bill Cosby for I Spy in 1965 was significant as it was the first pairing of its kind for a television drama.

Pairing a prominent White actor (Bruce Willis) with a Black comedian in 2010 (Tracy Morgan)…not so much.  Depending on whom you ask, such a combination either affirms or disputes the contention that race still matters.  For some, the idea that African-Americans need to be funny or “entertain” audiences opposite their White “intelligent” counterparts is just as insulting today as it was back in the day.  To that point, not everyone Black was fond of pairing Eddie Murphy with Nick Nolte  in 48 Hrs. or even the hugely successful duo of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.

48 Hrs.

Successful yes, but racially progressive?

Conversely, there are those who would say that the entertainment industry is about just that…”entertainment.”  The goal is to make money; generate the biggest laughs which help generate the biggest gate.

The truth is probably somewhere in between, a combination of proven box office formulas and lingering stereotypes of “acceptable” roles for African-Americans.

Some others that readily come to mind:

Men in Black - Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith

The Last Boyscout – Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans

Rush Hour – Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker

The fundamental question in any discussion of whether this “post-racial” society has arrived is whether America is different now than before the election of Barack Obama on the issue of race.

In terms of cinema, no.  When it becomes routine to cast an African-American male lead opposite a White female love interest, then maybe.  When the  controversial sex scene in Monster’s Ball is socially acceptable even if the genders and ethnicities are reversed…then maybe.  When Denzel Washington can win an Oscar for playing a civil rights hero as well as a sociopath monster…then maybe.  When Halle Berry can win an Oscar while never having to disrobe…then maybe.

But not a moment before then, to be sure.

Training Day

The ironic part about Hollywood is that it plays on both sides of the fence.  It helps changes opinions while at other times reinforces prevailing stereotypes.  If you think the casting of Morgan Freeman and Dennis Haysbert as “The President” in the movie Deep Impact and the television series 24 respectively didn’t positively influence the future campaign of Barack Obama, you would be a fool.

If you think the multi-cultural cast of Star Trek and on-screen interracial kiss of Uhura and Captain Kirk in 1968 didn’t help change the course of television

Uhura and Kirk

and race-relations you would be a fool.  And of course we can’t forget the Roots miniseries.

On the other hand, if you think that African-Americans aren’t also tired of the “critical acclaim” of stories featuring Whites “saving” Blacks…you’d be a fool.  Despite how “true” the movies The Blind Side, Glory Road et al. may be, there are plenty “untold” stories in reverse which seem to never make it to the silver screen.

If we extrapolate this even further, despite the wonderful special effects, the White soldier hanging out for 3 months on Pandora who manages to single-handedly “save” the indigenous people “of color” from technology (who just happened to wear beads, braids/dreadlocks) wasn’t exactly appreciated by all African-Americans either.  And that’s saying nothing of the wide noses and full lips of the Pandorans.  Avatar may be the top grossing film of all-time but it sings a familiar refrain along the way.  Memories of Tarzan haven’t altogether faded over the years.

Blackface…blueface; you say tomato, I say tomawto.

Why James Cameron could imagine a beautiful, uncharted utopia thousands of light-years away, yet couldn’t imagine a more creative depiction of its storyline, Mo’Kelly isn’t quite sure.

Avatar

I know what some are you are thinking…Mo’Kelly is finding “race” when and where it wasn’t meant to be and had no role in the production.

Wrong.

We attend movies as a sum total of our experiences.  Mo’Kelly can’t watch Cop Out and simply ignore the memories and history of Black/White buddy cop movies.  It also explains why a classic such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner means more to my generation and my parents’ than it does to young people today.  Sidney Poitier musing about a world in which there “could” be a Black Secretary of State or Black President with “colorful administrations” doesn’t quite mean as much to today’s young people who don’t remember a world without Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and now Barack Obama .

Comedian Dave Chappelle said it best in explanation as to why he abruptly left his television show.

“I want to make sure I’m dancing and not shuffling.”

To understand the depth of that comment means to understand the history of media and the portrayals of African-American men.  If you don’t understand what Chappelle meant, you won’t understand or agree with anything written here.

Interracial marriage is not the “scandal” in 2010 as it was in 1967, a full year before the aforementioned first interracial kiss on television.

It’s both good and bad.

It’s good in the sense of the progress that can be charted and bad in the way  it’s clear how much farther the journey will be.  The truth of the matter is that those too young to remember such a world found in 1967 aren’t yet the opinion-leaders or the policy-makers in America.

One day they will be, but not yet.  They are not the senators, the studio heads or even the network presidents.  Not yet.

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker (Rush Hour)

And until they are, we are not and can not possibly be a post-racial society.  So Mo’Kelly will still go see Cop Out with my racial baggage in tow; because Mo’Kelly most importantly is a fan of Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and director Kevin Smith.  But let’s be fair and let’s be clear; Hollywood will not have put down its own racial baggage until it permanently moves away from flaunting the “racial” formulas and themes which garner the biggest bang for their buck.

[Stay tuned...the new mrmokelly.com website is coming to you in 2010.  Set your browsers now.]

http://twitter.com/mrmokelly

Subscribe to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

Tracy Morgan (left) and Bruce Willis

As I watch the various trailers and interviews featuring comedic actor Tracy Morgan and his latest movie Cop Out, it invariably makes me wonder where we are in terms of this supposed “post-racial” society.

Post-racial…as in after or beyond the issues of race.

One could argue that if we have reached this supposed Promised Land, we wouldn’t be talking about it to the degree we presently do.  We as a nation acknowledge our “post-industrial” status only as an anecdote; at most as an aside as to why the Big 3 car-makers have failed or why corporate outsourcing to India is both viable and profitable. In other words, we say it as an explanation of the obvious, not an argument to be proven.

The benchmark of course has been the presidency of Barack Obama in this “post-racial” discussion.  What’s not in debate is whether his election was both symbolic and substantive in nature.  What is in question is the ratio between the two.

I Spy

Symbolically and substantively, the pairing of Robert Culp and comedian Bill Cosby for I Spy in 1965 was significant as it was the first pairing of its kind for a television drama.

Pairing a prominent White actor (Bruce Willis) with a Black comedian in 2010 (Tracy Morgan)…not so much.  Depending on whom you ask, such a combination either affirms or disputes the contention that race still matters.  For some, the idea that African-Americans need to be funny or “entertain” audiences opposite their White “intelligent” counterparts is just as insulting today as it was back in the day.  To that point, not everyone Black was fond of pairing Eddie Murphy with Nick Nolte  in 48 Hrs. or even the hugely successful duo of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.

48 Hrs.

Successful yes, but racially progressive?

Conversely, there are those who would say that the entertainment industry is about just that…”entertainment.”  The goal is to make money; generate the biggest laughs which help generate the biggest gate.

The truth is probably somewhere in between, a combination of proven box office formulas and lingering stereotypes of “acceptable” roles for African-Americans.

Some others that readily come to mind:

Men in Black - Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith

The Last Boyscout – Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans

Rush Hour – Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker

The fundamental question in any discussion of whether this “post-racial” society has arrived is whether America is different now than before the election of Barack Obama on the issue of race.

In terms of cinema, no.  When it becomes routine to cast an African-American male lead opposite a White female love interest, then maybe.  When the  controversial sex scene in Monster’s Ball is socially acceptable even if the genders and ethnicities are reversed…then maybe.  When Denzel Washington can win an Oscar for playing a civil rights hero as well as a sociopath monster…then maybe.  When Halle Berry can win an Oscar while never having to disrobe…then maybe.

But not a moment before then, to be sure.

Training Day

The ironic part about Hollywood is that it plays on both sides of the fence.  It helps changes opinions while at other times reinforces prevailing stereotypes.  If you think the casting of Morgan Freeman and Dennis Haysbert as “The President” in the movie Deep Impact and the television series 24 respectively didn’t positively influence the future campaign of Barack Obama, you would be a fool.

If you think the multi-cultural cast of Star Trek and on-screen interracial kiss of Uhura and Captain Kirk in 1968 didn’t help change the course of television

Uhura and Kirk

and race-relations you would be a fool.  And of course we can’t forget the Roots miniseries.

On the other hand, if you think that African-Americans aren’t also tired of the “critical acclaim” of stories featuring Whites “saving” Blacks…you’d be a fool.  Despite how “true” the movies The Blind Side, Glory Road et al. may be, there are plenty “untold” stories in reverse which seem to never make it to the silver screen.

If we extrapolate this even further, despite the wonderful special effects, the White soldier hanging out for 3 months on Pandora who manages to single-handedly “save” the indigenous people “of color” from technology (who just happened to wear beads, braids/dreadlocks) wasn’t exactly appreciated by all African-Americans either.  And that’s saying nothing of the wide noses and full lips of the Pandorans.  Avatar may be the top grossing film of all-time but it sings a familiar refrain along the way.  Memories of Tarzan haven’t altogether faded over the years.

Blackface…blueface; you say tomato, I say tomawto.

Why James Cameron could imagine a beautiful, uncharted utopia thousands of light-years away, yet couldn’t imagine a more creative depiction of its storyline, Mo’Kelly isn’t quite sure.

Avatar

I know what some are you are thinking…Mo’Kelly is finding “race” when and where it wasn’t meant to be and had no role in the production.

Wrong.

We attend movies as a sum total of our experiences.  Mo’Kelly can’t watch Cop Out and simply ignore the memories and history of Black/White buddy cop movies.  It also explains why a classic such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner means more to my generation and my parents’ than it does to young people today.  Sidney Poitier musing about a world in which there “could” be a Black Secretary of State or Black President with “colorful administrations” doesn’t quite mean as much to today’s young people who don’t remember a world without Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and now Barack Obama .

Comedian Dave Chappelle said it best in explanation as to why he abruptly left his television show.

“I want to make sure I’m dancing and not shuffling.”

To understand the depth of that comment means to understand the history of media and the portrayals of African-American men.  If you don’t understand what Chappelle meant, you won’t understand or agree with anything written here.

Interracial marriage is not the “scandal” in 2010 as it was in 1967, a full year before the aforementioned first interracial kiss on television.

It’s both good and bad.

It’s good in the sense of the progress that can be charted and bad in the way  it’s clear how much farther the journey will be.  The truth of the matter is that those too young to remember such a world found in 1967 aren’t yet the opinion-leaders or the policy-makers in America.

One day they will be, but not yet.  They are not the senators, the studio heads or even the network presidents.  Not yet.

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker (Rush Hour)

And until they are, we are not and can not possibly be a post-racial society.  So Mo’Kelly will still go see Cop Out with my racial baggage in tow; because Mo’Kelly most importantly is a fan of Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and director Kevin Smith.  But let’s be fair and let’s be clear; Hollywood will not have put down its own racial baggage until it permanently moves away from flaunting the “racial” formulas and themes which garner the biggest bang for their buck.

[Stay tuned...the new mrmokelly.com website is coming to you in 2010.  Set your browsers now.]

http://twitter.com/mrmokelly

Subscribe to The Mo’Kelly Report HERE

Throughout the recent and historic presidential campaign, scholars, academicians and theologians alike contended that the ascension of Barack Obama towards the presidency would have a lasting ripple effect.  One that would be specifically and especially important to African-American men.

I’m still waiting…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m patient; but we’re not off to a good start.  No really, I am very patient…but I notice when things are not moving in the proper direction.

It was reasonable enough to believe that when a young Black man (young in a political sense) rose to the highest office in the free world, Black men’s pants all over the land would at least rise above their collective asses.

If the phrase “President Obama” wasn’t enough, there’s also “Chairman Steele”…as in Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele.  And let’s not forget Coach Tomlin…a.k.a. “Youngest Super Bowl Champion Coach Ever” Mike Tomlin.

Meaning…

Within the space of a fortnight, not only have we as African-American males gained the most coveted “role models” in all the world, but single-handedly destroyed an abundance of stereotypes in the process.

To which, Jay-Z and Young Jeezy celebrated and saluted the office of the presidency with their wholly derogatory N-Word fest during their inaugural celebrations.  Also, Rick Ross and 50 Cent have publicly declared war on one-another in both rhyme and reality.  If that weren’t enough, Eddie Murphy is back in the “news” for his supposed refusal to acknowledge or visit his 22-month-old daughter by Mel B.

On one hand, for those of you who thought the world was magically going to change the moment President Obama finished his oath of office (either time), welcome back to reality.  And on the other hand, those of you out there “celebrating” the shared Blackness you have with President Obama, but not sharing in his humanity, you missed the point.

“My president is black, my Lambo’s blue
And I’ll be goddamned if my rims ain’t too
My momma ain’t at home, and daddy’s still in jail.”

Young Jeezy – My President Is Black

Young Jeezy…if the only thing you wish to appropriate from President Obama is his color, you missed the point.  You may not appreciate criticism from the likes of a Bill O’Reilly and question why he doesn’t speak out on “other” more important issues to African-Americans, but his point is still valid.

Bill O’Reilly is an unmitigated ass, but his point is still valid nonetheless.  Jeezy’s public behavior was unconscionable.

The responsibility of having a “Black” president requires more than only forming a “color kinship.”  It means internalizing his humanity.  It means acknowledging the same respect for Black women and fatherhood that our “Black” president does.

It includes exalting the institution of marriage in the same manner that our “Black” president does.  Ultimately more is required of Black men post-January 20 than simply reveling in Obama’s “Blackness.”  It means reversing direction and realigning our collective trajectory.  To meaningfully and sincerely “celebrate” the accomplishments of Black men like President Obama, Chairman Steele and Coach Tomlin, it requires removing “Nigga” from one’s vocabulary.

It’s a requirement, not a suggestion.

It demands sense enough to not declare war on another Black man, especially for the sake of album sales or to be “king” of the hip-hop misogynists.

Young Jeezy didn’t seem to understand, such is the cost of having a “Black” president.  Jay-Z, for all his financial success still doesn’t seem to understand that 40+ year-old MEN don’t strive to mimic behavior of teenagers in thought, word or deed.  Grown men SET the example, not kowtow to pubescent whimsicality.  Do you hear me Shawn Carter?  50 Cent can’t publicly “endorse” Barack Obama in 2008 and publicly declare war on Rick Ross in 2009.  Endorsing Barack Obama means endorsing what he stands for and advocates.

An African-American man is leader of the free world…act like it my brothers.  President Obama’s legacy is not best served by linking it to rims and “lambos” in lyrics.  President Obama said it was time to put away childish things…maybe hip-hop collectively missed that part of the inauguration while sipping on Cristal.  Nevertheless, it’s always available in 1st Corinthians whenever you guys have time.

Michael Steele, a political moderate by most accounts will now be charged with the immediate future of the Republican Party.  Steele is not a self-loathing clone of Clarence Thomas, Larry Elder or Alan Keyes.  Steele is a man who loves his heritage and is keenly committed and connected to our African-American community.  Philosophically and politically he may be in disagreement with the multitude of African-Americans but nowhere should it be said he’s not madly in love with our people.

The election of Barack Obama was supposed to indicate the coming of age of the African-American electorate…act like it my people.

An African-American man who sincerely loves Black people now runs the minority party of the U.S. government…act like it my brothers.

An African-American man has coached the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl title in only his second year to become the youngest coach EVER to WIN an NFL championship.  And he did it while 43 million people watched…just for good measure.

Young African-American men have three distinct, public examples in which to emulate and pattern their lives.  We as African-Americans must do more to CORRECTLY highlight and celebrate these types of accomplishments as well as their humanity in our community.  We must no longer allow for stupidity personified to serve as the archetype for the African-American male.

We know the consequences of “rap beefs.”  History is clear; they lead to stabbings at award shows.  History is unambiguous, they lead to drive-by shootings at after-parties of the aforementioned award shows.  And most importantly, they further ingrain the mentality that Black manhood is nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy of ignorance, hatred and untimely death.

And Eddie Murphy…feel free to acknowledge and involve yourself with your 22-month-old child any day now.  No rush.  You have plenty time before she reaches high school.

If the recent and rounding successes of President Barack Obama, Chairman Michael Steele and Coach Mike Tomlin don’t force you as an African-American man to reassess the depth of your love and quality of service to African-Americans, then shame on you.

Shame on you.

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.  Mo’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.

There is a real and measurable percentage of African-American men who engage in bisexual relationships. The exact number…who is to say? Regardless of the exact number, there is no argument to be had that the percentage is real and measurable. Additionally, there are men who engage in bisexual relationships who have both a wife and children. A wife and child do not absolve one from the possibility of a clandestine homosexual relationship.

These are the facts and they are indisputable.

The only “phenomenon” related to the “down-low” discussion was that the African-American community was actually discussing it AT ALL in the public space.

The hindrance to that discussion heretofore can rightfully be blamed on African-Americans’ collective stigma placed on anything and anyone connected with homosexuality.

This is not an editorial in support of Gay Rights or an endorsement of any type of alternative lifestyle. It’s just a statement of fact as to African-Americans and our collective conceptions of those things considered “virtuous” and “shameful.”

Conversely, the stigma that accompanies all things homosexual within our community has led to the ubiquitous hyper-faux-masculinity found in our music, movies and our general everyday mentality.

This is not an editorial meant to diss hip-hop or its related elements. It’s just a statement of fact as to African-Americans and our collective conceptions of those things considered “virtuous” and “shameful.”

R&B singer Johnny Gill, recently took to the radio airwaves to “clear his name” in regards to the rampant rumors surrounding his “rapport” with actor/comedian Eddie Murphy. In an interview on the nationally syndicated The Ride with Doug and Dede, Gill pleaded his case as to how he “is” heterosexual, “has always been” heterosexual and “always will be” heterosexual.

“I got a stable (of women), I keep a stable. I’ve got all kinds of girls from Whites, Blacks to whatever you want to call them. I’ve got ‘em all. Cuz that’s the way I choose to live…working with the hand I was dealt. And until somethin’ comes along, one of them get their hooks in me…hey, I’m livin’ and having fun.”

- Johnny Gill

Since we now know for a fact that Johnny Gill reads anything and everything in relation to him in the media, he’ll be reading this edition of The Mo’Kelly Report too.

Having said that, Brotha…(and those like him) pay close attention.

Although I’ve had comedic fun with Johnny Gill on a number of occasions regarding these “rumors” and his supposed “rapport” with Eddie Murphy, his public statements serve as the perfect entry point into the serious discussion on the definition of “manhood” and “masculinity” within our African-American community.

What’s not included in Gill’s quote but should be noted is the fact that it was made with his illegitimate 23-month old son in his lap. What’s not included in the quote is that it is coming from Gill “the son of a minister.” The Black church and its role in the stigmatization of homosexuality and misguided reinforcement of an erroneous definition of manhood must also be acknowledged if we are to honestly and intellectually address this issue.

This is not an editorial meant to libel the Black Church; just a statement of fact.

Having a “stable” of women doesn’t make any male “more manly”…and surely doesn’t prove heterosexuality. It just means the male equates women with animals, to be used at his breeding whim.

None of which “equals” masculinity or heterosexuality. But “stupidity”…absolutely.

“I got a stable (of women), I keep a stable. I’ve got all kinds of girls from Whites, Blacks to whatever you want to call them. I’ve got ‘em all. Cuz that’s the way I choose to live…working with the hand I was dealt. And until somethin’ comes along, one of them get their hooks in me…hey, I’m livin’ and having fun.”

It is also though part and parcel of a larger problem…how we as African-American males are socialized and brainwashed to believe that sexual conquest is tantamount to “manhood.” It is indicative of a symptom of a larger malady as to why 70% of African-American children (including Johnny Gill’s) are born out of wedlock.

There is something inherently wrong with a Black man getting on national radio and arguing his “heterosexual masculinity and manhood” through his objectification and dehumanization of women “from Whites, Blacks to whatever you want to call them” as Johnny Gill said.

Just in case Johnny Gill didn’t know…it’s quite alright to spend your life with a woman, and not just the night. It’s quite alright to defend your manhood through the respect of womanhood. And it’s quite alright to let one’s manhood speak for itself through quietly through actions, not instead “speaking up” through the debasement of women with misplaced words.

Yes, Johnny Gill has a bevy of women he sleeps with, without commitment or consideration…because he’s “livin’ and having fun.”

Yes Johnny, that surely is a compelling argument in support of heterosexuality and if actor Rock Hudson were still here he would probably agree with you.

There are thousands upon thousands of men who engage in homosexual activities daily in prison who would not dare characterize themselves as “gay.” There are thousands upon thousands of African-American men who likely engage in homosexual behavior in the free world who would not dare label themselves as “gay”…and promptly go home to their wives and families afterwards.

This is not an editorial intended to diss or disparage the homosexual lifestyle…but it is a statement of fact as to what transpires in our African-American community.

Let’s get beyond the “labels” and get to the heart of the matter of what’s important and it isn’t Gill’s sexuality one way or the other.

Johnny Gill’s public plea for Black people to “believe” whether he’s wholly heterosexual is a red-herring and neither here nor there. It really doesn’t matter whether Johnny Gill (or Eddie Murphy) is gay, beyond their respective insecurities over what “fans” think and say.

I don’t care either way and neither should anyone else, truth be told.

What DOES matter is Gill in his attempt to “save” his masculinity, he threw women under the bus, further ingraining the misguided stereotypes found in the faux-hyper-masculinity permeating our community.

This “fake manhood” is at the root of why HIV/AIDS is rampaging through our communities at breakneck speed, disproportionately affecting our Sistas. This “fake manhood” is why Johnny Gill’s own son is likely to eventually start his own “family” with children out of wedlock. And this “fake manhood” is the largest variable in the equation of why “street cred” tends to trump education and puts our young men on the path to the prison.

Personally, Johnny Gill’s appearance on the The Ride with Doug and Dede reeked of the classic Shakespearean quote, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

No underhanded “lady” pun intended…just how the quote reads.

In the end, I’m more alarmed at how Gill fashioned his illogical rebuke of the rumors at the expense of African-American women…while metaphorically beating his own chest in the process. Johnny Gill did not “prove” his manhood, he simply reinforced the fact that he is anything BUT a man, irrespective of his sexuality, heterosexual or otherwise.

Click HERE to hear the Johnny Gill interview in full.

RELATED: The Advertisement of our Impending Demise

ALSO: PBS Documentary linking misogyny, homophobia and the media

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.

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Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.

OK, this just can’t be happening. Does Mo’Kelly have this right? First, Eddie Murphy seduces Mel B., promises a child and marriage; then kicks her to the curb while starting up a romance with Tracey Edmonds. A minor detail, but neither Edmonds nor Murphy’s ink was dry on their respective divorces.

Oops.

Prior to then, it was widely accepted that Murphy and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds were very good friends.

Uh…we can assume it’s now widely accepted that they’re not anymore.

Moving right along…

Murphy’s divorce centered around his many “dalliances” (allegedly) and Edmonds divorce was in connection with her affair with entertainment lawyer Londell McMillan (ahem…allegedly).

Yeah, and Barry Bonds “allegedly” used steroids.

Continuing to move right along…

Mel B. announced she was pregnant with Murphy’s child, while Murphy simultaneously acted like a petulant child, announcing his engagement to Tracey Edmonds after only ten months of semi-creeping/adultery. Mel B. announced her paternity lawsuit…and oh yeah, remembered to inform us she was already married to some random dude dating back to when the child named in the paternity suit was a zygote. Mel B. then parlays her systemically dysfunctional life into a gig on Dancing with the Stars.

Did Mo’Kelly forget any major details?

Scrolling down the page to somewhat recent history; Eddie and Tracey steal away to Bora Bora to “symbolically” exchange vows, something akin to Brandy Norwood’s “spiritual union.” The ceremony in Bora Bora was tantamount to exchanging friendship bracelets in the 3^rd grade. Neither mean a damn thing and rarely last past the end of the week.

Wait, that’s not true. Friendship bracelets at least cost a hell of a lot less than that sham in Bora Bora.

It seems that not only was the “symbolic union” worth a pile of crap in the U.S., Edmonds and Murphy didn’t even make it through the “honeymoon stage” without breaking up, with guests alleging that Murphy was verbally abusive during the reception and in the days afterwards.

How giddy is Mel B. right about now? Uh…VERY?!

Damnit! Mo’Kelly said he HAD to go to their “wedding!” Mo’Kelly predicted a “Hot Ghetto Mess” and that’s EXACTLY what’s happened.

Mo’Kelly’s Preview of Eddie and Tracey’s Wedding

Supposedly Johnny Gill was the best man in Bora Bora.

Yeah right. He was the flower girl.

(Isn’t she just adorable?)

Mo’Kelly doesn’t care if Johnny was standing on the stage in a suit, shoulder-to-shoulder with the groomsmen. He was the flower girl, don’t get it twisted. You can glue chicken feathers on that chinchilla all day long. It won’t EVER earn a spot in my 2-piece and biscuit meal. And you can pin twelve boutonnières on Johnny Gill and they still don’t change a thing.

It is what it is…

Johnny Gill was the flower girl…period. You can’t put one over on Mo’Kelly.

If we can agree that the whole “spiritual union” ceremony was a sham, logic dictates that all of its participants were perpetrating a lie in some form or fashion.

Ergo, Johnny Gill was the flower girl…period. Rose petals, knee highs and pink petticoats.

Flower girl. It is what it is.

The real question is; who is the sympathetic figure here? Tracey Edmonds? Hardly. Divorce from Babyface finalized in June, 2007 and announced engagement to Murphy July, 2007. Yes, ONE whole month later. And yes, Edmonds revealed to the media she started dating Murphy in December of 2006.

Sympathetic figure? Not a chance in the world.

Proof

And as for Eddie…

Well, who DIDN’T know he would self-destruct, honestly? He reportedly told Mel B. he would marry her after a month of dating her, which seems to be consistent with how quickly he “bed and wed” Tracey Edmonds. Notice the pattern.

Proof

Mo’Kelly’s just mad he didn’t get to see this joke of a couple firsthand. We all knew this marriage was destined to crash a
nd burn. When you jump off a building with a parachute of bricks, there’s only one result to be had. But none of us really predicted that the “marriage” would never technically take place at all. Nobody could foresee that the “relationship” would go down in a fiery blaze after only two weeks of a “Brandy Norwood spiritual union.” It’s funny as hell no doubt, but Mo’Kelly didn’t see this one coming.

See, if they stopped telling that damn lie that Johnny Gill was the best man they probably could’ve lasted three weeks. God don’t like ugly.

Johnny Gill was the flower girl. Eddie knows it, Tracey knows it and damnit Arsenio does too.

Rose petals, knee highs and pink petticoats.

RELATED: An Open Letter to Johnny Gill and Those Like Him

OK, this just can’t be happening. Does Mo’Kelly have this right? First, Eddie Murphy seduces Mel B., promises a child and marriage; then kicks her to the curb while starting up a romance with Tracey Edmonds. A minor detail, but neither Edmonds nor Murphy’s ink was dry on their respective divorces.

Oops.

Prior to then, it was widely accepted that Murphy and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds were very good friends.

Uh…we can assume it’s now widely accepted that they’re not anymore.

Moving right along…

Murphy’s divorce centered around his many “dalliances” (allegedly) and Edmonds divorce was in connection with her affair with entertainment lawyer Londell McMillan (ahem…allegedly).

Yeah, and Barry Bonds “allegedly” used steroids.

Continuing to move right along…

Mel B. announced she was pregnant with Murphy’s child, while Murphy simultaneously acted like a petulant child, announcing his engagement to Tracey Edmonds after only ten months of semi-creeping/adultery. Mel B. announced her paternity lawsuit…and oh yeah, remembered to inform us she was already married to some random dude dating back to when the child named in the paternity suit was a zygote. Mel B. then parlays her systemically dysfunctional life into a gig on Dancing with the Stars.

Did Mo’Kelly forget any major details?

Scrolling down the page to somewhat recent history; Eddie and Tracey steal away to Bora Bora to “symbolically” exchange vows, something akin to Brandy Norwood’s “spiritual union.” The ceremony in Bora Bora was tantamount to exchanging friendship bracelets in the 3^rd grade. Neither mean a damn thing and rarely last past the end of the week.

Wait, that’s not true. Friendship bracelets at least cost a hell of a lot less than that sham in Bora Bora.

It seems that not only was the “symbolic union” worth a pile of crap in the U.S., Edmonds and Murphy didn’t even make it through the “honeymoon stage” without breaking up, with guests alleging that Murphy was verbally abusive during the reception and in the days afterwards.

How giddy is Mel B. right about now? Uh…VERY?!

Damnit! Mo’Kelly said he HAD to go to their “wedding!” Mo’Kelly predicted a “Hot Ghetto Mess” and that’s EXACTLY what’s happened.

Mo’Kelly’s Preview of Eddie and Tracey’s Wedding

Supposedly Johnny Gill was the best man in Bora Bora.

Yeah right. He was the flower girl.

(Isn’t she just adorable?)

Mo’Kelly doesn’t care if Johnny was standing on the stage in a suit, shoulder-to-shoulder with the groomsmen. He was the flower girl, don’t get it twisted. You can glue chicken feathers on that chinchilla all day long. It won’t EVER earn a spot in my 2-piece and biscuit meal. And you can pin twelve boutonnières on Johnny Gill and they still don’t change a thing.

It is what it is…

Johnny Gill was the flower girl…period. You can’t put one over on Mo’Kelly.

If we can agree that the whole “spiritual union” ceremony was a sham, logic dictates that all of its participants were perpetrating a lie in some form or fashion.

Ergo, Johnny Gill was the flower girl…period. Rose petals, knee highs and pink petticoats.

Flower girl. It is what it is.

The real question is; who is the sympathetic figure here? Tracey Edmonds? Hardly. Divorce from Babyface finalized in June, 2007 and announced engagement to Murphy July, 2007. Yes, ONE whole month later. And yes, Edmonds revealed to the media she started dating Murphy in December of 2006.

Sympathetic figure? Not a chance in the world.

Proof

And as for Eddie…

Well, who DIDN’T know he would self-destruct, honestly? He reportedly told Mel B. he would marry her after a month of dating her, which seems to be consistent with how quickly he “bed and wed” Tracey Edmonds. Notice the pattern.

Proof

Mo’Kelly’s just mad he didn’t get to see this joke of a couple firsthand. We all knew this marriage was destined to crash and
burn. When you jump off a building with a parachute of bricks, there’s only one result to be had. But none of us really predicted that the “marriage” would never technically take place at all. Nobody could foresee that the “relationship” would go down in a fiery blaze after only two weeks of a “Brandy Norwood spiritual union.” It’s funny as hell no doubt, but Mo’Kelly didn’t see this one coming.

See, if they stopped telling that damn lie that Johnny Gill was the best man they probably could’ve lasted three weeks. God don’t like ugly.

Johnny Gill was the flower girl. Eddie knows it, Tracey knows it and damnit Arsenio does too.

Rose petals, knee highs and pink petticoats.

RELATED: An Open Letter to Johnny Gill and Those Like Him

Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all.

Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, fresh off his divorce/engagement/babymama drama has been busy developing his latest business venture, record label Murphy Entertainment.

Yes, Eddie is back in the music business.

THAT is not the unbelievable part. The first artist signed to the label…

(drum roll)

Karinne SUPERHEAD Steffans.

(Insert all applicable Party All the Time jokes and references here. They are too easy to do, so Mo’Kelly would rather not waste the brainpower creating jokes from low-hanging fruit. We’ll just assume that if Mo’Kelly were to do a “my girl wants to party all the time” joke or musical reference, it would’ve likely fell right about…

Here… _____________________________)

But in order to not disappoint everyone, irrespective of their tastes in humor…Mo’Kelly will meet you somewhere in the middle and leave you with the 1985 video of the debacle, complete with Rick James and leather pants galore. That alone is funny enough for everyone to enjoy with no further contribution from Mo’Kelly.

Reports are in that the hip-hop groupie will be releasing an album (of what, Mo’Kelly’s not sure) in March of ’08. Not sure if it’s singing, rapping or a combination of both.

What Mo’Kelly DOES know is that Steffans will most likely also be in attendance at the wedding of Murphy and Tracey Edmonds…and THAT is outstanding. For those who don’t know what a wonderful cornucopia of salacious dysfunctionality that will likely be…

CLICK HERE: The Likely Wedding of Eddie and Tracey

No surprise that Mel B. didn’t get a record deal with Eddie. But it sure would’ve been nice if he were silly enough to give it a try. Mo’Kelly recently got an email requesting a return of more “train wreck” videos…

Well, here you go! Enjoy!

TRAIN WRECK! TRAIN WRECK! TRAIN WRECK!!!