I saw DL Hughley's new show on CNN this past weekend called "DL Hughley Breaks the News," and it was as much as an awful, degrading, disgrace as I expected it to be.
I think that DL Hughley is an intelligent man and always have but I thought that with this new show of his, he not only downplayed himself but Black people in general. The show was also not funny to me in the slightest bit. It was actually so bad I could not stand to watch all of it so I turned it off. His treatment of his guests I also thought was horrible.
There are two excellent articles by Paul Porter of Industry Ears entitled "CNN: Breaking The News?" and "CNN and DL Hughley Think Sex Traffickers Are Funny –”Shut Cho Mouth B*tches!”- “Pimps up Hoes Down”, “Financing Hoes” “B*tch Better Have My Money”on CNN" by What About Our Daughters that are must reads and pretty much sum up my thoughts on the matter.
Also, the reaction from the listeners and callers on Black Talk Radio stations such as WOL 1450 AM, Channel 169 'The Power,' Reverend Al Sharpton's show "Keeping It Real," Baisden's show and many others I heard yesterday and this morning have been overwhelmingly negative on the matter.
I am surprised by this latest move by CNN, because after all, they had the final say to approve it and green light it. Coming on the heels of CNN's "Black In America" series (which was not all that it could be anyway to me), the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. series, and the Daughters of Great Men show this is a serious let down.
This show reminded me of the question I have been asking for years now, "When did Hard News Go Tabloid?" 92? 93? It's just gotten worse and worse. Now CNN is taking the same route? Wow.
Personally, I am not a fan of DL and never have been. DL Hughley is not one of my favorite comedians and he really has never been one of my favorite comedians, not even as a guest on radio programs such as Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Michael Baisden or Donnie Simpson. He's just not a comedian that I look forward to seeing or hearing.
His comedic style has turned me off from his early BET Comedy Show Days. He stole his "doin' the dozens" and "jonin" routine from the late great Robyn Harris, and in my opinion could never hold a candle to Robyn Harris in how Robyn would creatively jon on his audience or any hecklers.
I also was never a fan of his TV show and when I used to see him do his rounds on all the talk shows, I disagreed with many of his opinions. Black folks like this in my opinion will continue to get paid and get paid well for just what he's doin on CNN and when he makes his late nite show rounds comments.
The sad part about it is, many people outside of the Black Community look to DL Hughley, Chris Rock, Cedric The Entertainer and others for what I call "Is it OK? OK, he just gave us the Black Confirmation" on a long list of matters. A lot of folks hear these guys comedy and take it as the truth and believe that is how all black people are feeling or thinking on whatever issue. NOT! And NOT ALWAYS.
The reality of the matter is we as African-Americans end up paying for these comedians ignorant routines in many ways. WE end up being the ones to have to be the ones to clear it up on the streets, in our jobs, in school, WE pay for their garbage each time in how WE are approached after their latest junk and what WE have to hear afterwards by people who saw this that or the other and actually think "its cool, they approve" "I can approach you like this" "I can approach her like this" THAT is how WE Pay For It!
Out of these new news black talk shows I have seen on cable right now, I would've never thought that BET would have been the channel to get it close to getting it right with The Truth with Jeff Johnson.
Jeff Johnson stays on point from what I have seen so far and when he brings on his guests he is not trying to do comedy with them.
I think both The Comedy Channel is cashing in on The Obama Popularity by doing David Alan Greir's "The Chocolate News" and now DL with his whack and I do mean whack show, which I think will be over soon due to low ratings.
I am looking forward to the All Black News channel coming in 2009.
~LT
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