The TV Zone

Oh man, THIS is what happens when I don't watch an awards show in its glorious entirety: A controversy breaks out and I gotta catch up hours later.

First, Don Lemon of CNN has an interview with Joe Jackson who plugs some new record company - or something. That's on the jump.

Now, here's the latest: Lil Wayne sang new single "Every Girl" last night, and as one Minneapolis writer, David Hansen, correctly observed, he "didn't get the memo." Night was supposed to be about "MJ."

Ummm, but not this.

In other words. BET's done it again!

Dr. Janet Taylor, a New York-based clinical instructor of psychiatry at Columbia University at Harlem Hospital has come out with both guns blazing (in website, Momlogic.)

Here's Taylor, then check out the clip, which is the only one I can find insofar as the patent and copyright trolls at Viacom have already sent out their legal briefs to the Youtube nation, and pulled down EVERY single clip of "Every Girl" out there. (Probably because the company's trying to bury the evidence.) Somehow, they missed this one. (But, one suspects, not for long.)

-Photos: 2009 BET Awards

Taylor: "Now, I enjoy rap with the exception of rappers who use lyrics to degrade, defame or threaten others. In my opinion, the music is not productive and I frequently will simply turn it off. On the show, when rapper Drake appeared sitting down to rest his torn Achilles , I was like OK ... pretty tame. I don't have a problem with Lil' Wayne, he is creative and his writing is brilliant at times. However, his song "Every Girl" is offensive and disturbing. Here are the shocking lyrics, read them with caution. [Note to reader: Easy to find 'em, but I probably shouldn't link from here; they're graphic, bigtime.] Perhaps, they are what our kids are used to. I have teenagers, girls no less, who have heard the song and like it. My problem was the preteens who were proudly on stage, shaking their groove thang to this misogynistic, disrespectful song. It was ridiculous. Debra Lee, the CEO of BET, also the mother of two children, should be asking herself who approved this and how these young girls were allowed to be a part of this "act"."

Now, the clip:

Continue reading "BET, Lil Wayne Get Rapped Over "Every Girl" " »

I can't say I saw the entire show last night - kept dipping in an out - but here's my first question: Where were the clips? The classics? I'm sure they were there - must have just missed them.

(And if I didn't miss them, and they weren't in the show, at least in meaningful abundance, then here's my second question: Did MTV keep them out of rival BET's hands, even for a major tribute edition of the Awards?)

Meanwhile, speaking of clips, here's a nice one: Janet Jackson's brief speech at the end, and the Jamie Foxx - who gamely tried to get the crowd into this tribute but didn't always have a lot of luck doing so - and Ne-Yo final tribute, "I'll Be There"...