Superman Returns?

Former NFL superstar quarterback, Michael Vick, made his return to the gridiron yesterday, Sunday Sept. 27, when the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs. Statistically speaking, it wasn’t a great performance, but it’s clear that he’s going to have to shake some rust off after being away from the game for 2 years. The most important thing is that he’s back on the field and has a real shot at redemption. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the way the rest of Vick’s season goes.

Coming To Theaters: "This Is It"

In the wake of the passing of the legendary Michael Jackson, behind-the-scenes footage from his would-be This Is It tour has been used to create a documentary on MJ’s final musical endeavor. The film will be released on October 28th in theaters and promises to be a must-see for all the MJ fans out there.

I first saw the trailer for this film during the MTV VMAs a few weeks ago and it gave me chills. Possibly the most spectacular thing about Michael was that he never lost “it”. Even at the age of 50 he was still an incredible performer. I know where I’ll be on Oct. 28th.

Plaxico Burress Accepts Plea Deal

Last Thursday NFL receiver Plaxico Burress plead guilty to weapons charges stemming from an incident last November where he accidentally shot himself in the leg in a New York night club. In exchange for his plea, Burress will receive a 2 year prison sentence. Two years in prison for shooting yourself in the leg? Yea I’m not so sure about that.

In wake of the news, a lot of people have come out and stated their disapproval of the decision. I’m certainly one of them. Although I don’t condone Burress possession of an unregistered firearm, he was only carrying it for protection and never used it to threaten anyone. Also, in fairness, the weapon in question was previously registered in Florida and was not purchased off the streets.

Unfortunately for Burress he happened to make this mistake in the worst possible place. Ney York City’s gun laws are arguably the harshest in the nation. Nevertheless, in a world where more and more professional athletes are finding themselves victims of violent crimes, one can definitely see why one would want to protect himself.

Random Acts of Awesomeness: “8-bit trip”

Simply put, I’m a sucker for incredibly intricate stop motion projects that seem as though they took way too much time and effort to create. So needless to say, when I stumbled upon this gem on Youtube I had to share. As if legos could’ve gotten any cooler, right? Well they just did...click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qsWFFuYZYI

Late Night Done Right?

As many of you may have already realized, NBC’s late night talk show schedule has undergone some drastic changes over the course of the past several months. Some folks are coming, some folks are going, and some folks are revamping things. I’m here to help you all make sense of modified lineup and provide my own analysis of the new look.

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien - Personally, I think that kicking Jay Leno to the curb and promoting Conan O’Brien to the esteemed role of host of the Tonight Show was a very good move for NBC. I’ve always believed that Conan was the funnier, better host of the two and it was time to make that move. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Conan’s act has lost a little bit of its pop since his taking over the Tonight Show on June 1st. I think that may have a lot to do with the fact that Conan (moving from a 12:30am to an 11:30pm time slot) now has to appeal to the much older audience that he inherited from Leno and, thus, can no longer crack all of the off color remarks that young’ns such as myself had come to expect from him. Oh wells. Conan’s still way better than Leno.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t the most ecstatic to hear the news about Jimmy Fallon taking over hosting duties for Conan O’Brien. It’s not so much that I don’t like Jimmy, I just didn’t really see him fitting the role of a late night talk show host. However, I’m proud to say, so far, he’s proven me wrong.

Jimmy’s hosting skills have improved drastically in the few short months with the show. Also, I like the way he mixes things up and steps outside of the box that has come to be the traditional, contemporary late night talk show. He spontaneously runs out into his audience, engages his celebrity guests in activities (like beer pong), and even breaks out into a freestyle every now and then. Oh yea, the fact that he has the Roots as his house band doesn’t hurt at all.

Last Call with Carson Daly - I’m going to be really honest; I used to hate Carson Daly’s hideous talk show. It was stale, unfunny, and seemed to drag on (even though it was only half the length of most late night talk shows). BUT, I’m happy to say that all that has changed now.

See, NBC has changed the entire structure of Last Call. Where it once was a boring excuse for a talk show, it now feels much more like an original idea. They’ve taken Carson out of the television studio, suit and tie and put him out in the streets meeting with and interviewing up and coming musicians and actors. This feels much more like Carson’s natural habitat and his hosting skills seem to have improved now that he is no longer faced with the daunting responsibility of carrying a traditional talk show. The show does a great job of exposing new artists. Essentially, the recent renovation of the show has completely salvaged its existence. Congrats Carson.

Well, there you have it folks. NBC’s new late night talk show lineup is officially solidified and doing quite well I might add. Yet another reason for me to give in to insomnia….*sigh*

The Weezy/Breezy Connection

So apparently rapper Lil Wayne showed some love to singer Chris Brown over the weekend by bringing him out on stage during Wayne’s set and making him a part of the performance. This took place during the Virginia stop of the America’s Most Wanted tour that Weezy’s been on this summer.

Brown basically came out and filled in for Drake (who had re-injured his knee two nights before and was, subsequently, forced to pull out of the tour) during the performance of Young Money’s single “Every Girl”. Brown also paid tribute to the late icon Michael Jackson by performing the hit single “Billy Jean”. After which, Wayne implored the crowd to make some noise for “the new Michael”.

This was a pretty bold move for Brown as it was his first appearance on stage since the altercation he had with his girlfriend back in February. However, it was still relatively safe considering he was in front of his hometown fans. I guess it’s all about taking calculated risks. Nevertheless, I wish Breezy the best of luck in straightening out his life and getting his career back on track.

The Return of ABDC

Generally, I don’t get too attached to TV shows. Truth is─most of them aren’t any good. However, one particular program that I’ve always made time for is MTV’s hit show America’s Best Dance Crew…and I make no apologies for that.

I’m basically infatuated by the show. The dancers, their back stories, the incredible routines they come up with each week; it all makes it a spectacle worth watching. I enjoy the show so much that I even suffer the intolerable nuisance that is Lil Mama to watch. I consider that no small sacrifice.

The good news is the show is back for its fourth season. Hopefully this season brings us more talented and creative crews that keep us on the edge of our seats week to week. Catch the premier episode of ABDC Sunday, August 9th at 9pm on MTV.

In the meantime, you can check out the official ABDC website here: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/dance_crew/series.jhtml

Tattoo Smattoo?

Another thing that’s caught my attention recently is the tattoo frenzy. Nowadays, it seems as though more people are taking the lead of their favorite performers and athletes by covering their bodies with tattoos. To me, this seems a little crazy. At the risk of sounding uncool, covering one’s body in tattoos just seems like a bad idea to me.

The good news is that we live in a free country, which means people can do whatever they choose with their bodies. Furthermore, there’s nothing wrong with having a few tattoos and, in truth, they do look good on some people. I’m not hating on anybody’s grind. However, although the concept of showering one’s body in tattoos may work out for the rich & famous celebrities and athletes of the world, it may not be the best way to go for Joe Shmoe.

Unfortunately, if you ever plan on holding down a 9-5 ever again, going with forearm, hand or neck tattoos just might not be such a great idea. It’s sad, but true. What’s more, many of the people who cover their bodies with impulse-driven ink have the attention span of a king sized Snicker’s bar. I wonder what they’re going to think about their tats when they’re 40…Yikes.

West Goes Gaga

In case you haven’t heard, Grammy award winning rapper/producer Kanye West will be linking up with Pop diva Lady Gaga to go on tour later this fall. In an interesting twist, the pair will be “co-headlining” the show and will not be incorporating any opening acts. West claims that he has so much respect for the songstress that it would only be right for them to share the headlining duties. This is a pretty significant shift for Kanye considering the fact that he proudly headlined the star-studded “Glow In the Dark” tour back in the spring of 2008 (which featured such established opening acts as: N.E.R.D., Lupe Fiasco and Rhianna).

For the most part, both parties are choosing not to divulge too many details about the show at the moment. Nonetheless, this is a very intriguing tandem and I’m guessing there will be fashion statements abound. Bottom line: if this Yeezy tour is anything like the last one─sign a brother up.

Be sure to be on the lookout for tickets to this show when it hits an arena near you.

Who Will Bounce Back Better: Vick or Brown?

It’s no secret that the careers and lives of two of the brightest young Black stars (Michael Vick and Chris Brown) have undergone catastrophic collapses recently. Vick, who was the highest paid (and widely regarded as the most talented) player in the NFL, plead guilty to federal dog fighting charges back in December of 2007, served a year and a half of prison time and subsequently lost two seasons of his NFL career. Brown, who just a few short months ago was considered one of the top artists in the R&B game, recently plead guilty to the felony assault of his girlfriend back in February. What a tangled web we weave fellas.

As far as Vick is concerned, he will find out about his fate sooner than later. NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, says that he will come to a decision soon as to whether or not he will further penalize Vick by giving him an additional NFL sanctioned suspension. To me that would be a bit harsh considering the fact that he has already paid his debt to society, not to mention the well over $100 million he has reportedly lost in lieu of this whole ordeal. But what do I know?

On the other hand, Brown’s future is not quite as clear cut. He has recently released a video in which he accepts full responsibility for the situation and delivers an apology. However, that may not be enough to restore his public image considering the brutality of his crime. Only time will tell if the fans Brown has lost will return to his corner.

Truthfully, these are two men that I considered to be pretty good role models before their respective incidents, and I admired the undeniable talents they displayed. Although I cannot and will not condone the actions of either of them, I can honestly say that I wish these gentlemen the best in their attempts to redeem themselves in the future.