The Rise of the Black Web Series or "Brought to you In Living Color"

"I'll explain this in a second for those who don't know me"

Hey folks!! Yes I took a week off and it must've been hard to the nonexistant folks who wait with bated breath for my next blogpost but I'm back in the saddle with a whole new issue to talk about. This time it is close to my heart...The wonderful world of the internet and "New Media."

Now I was raised in the 1990's, home to big hair, bad catchphrases and something that has become so few and far inbetween these days, Black TV shows and Movies. There was an abundance of them: Martin, Living Single, Cosby Show, In Living Color, City Of Angels, Family Matters, Soul Food(TV and Movie) and so many more it its literally too many to name on this blog. But somewhere between 2000 and present day, African American content on both the big and the small screen has been whittled down to almost nothing that doesn't include the words "Tyler Perry's" behind the title. Now as much as I'd love to go in on Tyler Perry, that is a subject for another blog entirely.

It has become very clear that TV has become a bit whitewashed lately. 15 short years ago, every channel on network television had at least 1-3 black shows on their primetime schedule. Now you're lucky if you can find 5 black regulars on the network period. And while things have slowly gotten better (Taraji Henson on Person Of Interest and Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope on Scandal) gone are the days of the predominantly black series on network TV. Now as a black actor and writer myself who was raised with your Fresh Prince's and Living Single's, you would think that I would've given up on my dreams of a lead role on a 10/9pm central drama that doesn't involve me in handcuffs or in a body bag with a Durag (with the flap out, mind you) on my head, but I have found the future...and it can be shared through Twitter and Facebook.

If you were to ask young Black twentysomethings (especially the ones I know) what shows they watch, you might get a shock when they say shows like The Unwritten Rules, Orange is the New Black, RoomieLoverFriends, and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. You'd be surprised at how many know a Poussey or a Taystee, have been in the same situation as Jayson and Tamiko or had to share an office with the kinda fools that Racey has. The future of the black sitcom and drama series has found new life: on the Internet. With more and more of our demographic leaving their sets behind and catching up on their favorite shows on their smartphones, laptops, and tablets, a new world has opened up for people who go against the grain of the mainstream. Folks like Black and Sexy TV, Issa Rae, Tracy Edmonds' Alright TV and the dudes at Dormtainment (seriously #GetThemBoysAShow) are carving a new niche out for themselves and are taking the traditional industry by storm. There are many ups and downs to saying "Screw TV for right now, I'm working on my YouTube channel." I should know, I am one of these folks.

(l to r) Ian Lawrence, Canae White, Me in the blue, and 

Christopher Robinson holding the gun

It was 2010 and I was trying to find a way to make myself useful after graduating from Dillard University. What came about was headaches, heartaches, and a whole HELL of a lot of drama that was the first webseries I had ever created, a soap opera styled drama called Windsor Hill. It was basically about my time in college, but the stories were as twisted as a pretzel handmade by Stevie Wonder. It had drama, it had a predominantly black cast, it was everything that I wanted to see and it was NOWHERE NEAR EASY and it still didn't come out like I wanted it to.

Like most webseries, I had NO BUDGET. Borrowing equipment from my job/alma mater, paying for most stuff with my own money and being actor, director, producer, editor, promoter and anything else that nobody else couldn't/Didn't want to do. I was the one who wrote the episodes, distributed them, scheduled the shoots, and chased behind the actors to make sure they showed up. No one was a star. Hell, no one got paid. We did it because we wanted to see our work put together and shown to the world. And I was blessed to realize that I wasn't really alone, because most web series have the same issues. Many go to Kickstarter and GoFundMe, some work side gigs like I did, but cash(unless you are filthy rich) will never be the true motivator in the web series game, at least not at first. But if you keep at it and you are noticed, you could go far.

The Dormtainment Crew. Chaz, Mike, Cam,

 Rome, Amanuel, and Tay. (Not pictured, Tay's Juice)

Take In Living Color, throw it in a pot with Chappelle's Show, add a dash of 106 & Park and stir and you've got the fellas at Dormtainment. Meeting each other while going to school in Atlanta, Tay, Rome, Mike, Amanuel and brothers Chaz and Cam have put together some of the funniest vids on the internet. With wild characters like the Jamacian Leaning Leon, the Boot fearing Americans, Cam's silent but increasingly hostile Smiley, and Tay's odd taste for large quantities of pancakes and juice, they had gained a fanbase. The fan base grew when they released their mixtapes: We're Not Rappers, But We Rap and Broke And Famous(Both Produced by Tay.) They now frequently tour college campuses, and have begun working with Tracey Edmonds' faith oriented Youtube Channel Alright TV, while still putting out new skits every Sunday.

Issa Rae, Creator and Star of "The Misadventures

Of Awkward Black Girl"

Issa Rae, known to many as J rose to fame on her web comedy "Awkward Black Girl." She shortly after that blew the hell up, producing her other projects like RoomieLoverFriends, How Men Become Dogs and the hilarous Ratchetpiece Theatre. She is currently developing a series with Scandal and Grey's creator and TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes and just inked a deal to work with Daily Show writer Larry Wilmore to create an HBO series. She has been featured in magazines, talk shows and is widely known as the example of how far a web series can take you.

They're is a myriad of series out there for everyone be it comedy, drama, action, etc. Recently YouTuber Tactix will be releasing his action series BOOST in the very near future. I myself is working on a supernatural series and have just finished a short film called Man's Best Friend which is available through the YouTube channel GumboMonster.  It reminds me of the 90s all over again. Folks unafraid to show a side of life that the mainstream tend to ignore. To the people out there, keep writing, directing, and performing out there. You never know where it'll take you.

Thanx 4 Lettin me Vent,

Lawrence J. Weber, Jr

"The Arrogant Observer"

P.S. Here are some of the Links to enjoy some of the series that I was talking about:

Check out my new movie, Man's Best Friend, here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTA6r7MFLZk

And subscribe to our channel, GumboMonster:

http://www.youtube.com/gumbomonster504

Dormtainment:

www.Dormtainment.com

Issa Rae Productions

http://www.youtube.com/issarae

Black and Sexy TV

http://www.youtube.com/blackandsexytv

Inkspot Entertainment(Home to The Unwritten Rules)

http://www.youtube.com/inkSpotEntertainment

KEEP CREATING!!!

Opening the door to the closet...Ya nasty...

Buenos Dias Folks! I am taking a break from talking about race relations in America. I know folks, breathe with me...Inhale and exhale...Don't worry about Don Lemon's simple ass, we'll deal with that later.

But speaking of Don Lemon brings up another point I'd like to discuss. This week Raven Symone, known as cute little Olivia on The Cosby Show then went on to her own stardom in Disney's That's So Raven, Inadvertently came out as a lesbian via Twitter, after longtime rumors floated about her sexuality and her dating partners.

As if this didn't shake up the Twitterverse enough, later her reps released a statement that while she is not getting married, she is happy that same sex marriage is becoming more and more accepted in the country. Dammit, I was all geared up for a That's So Wedding! Now, while this produced many "Good for Her"s and "She showed bravery"s, along with TONS of really bad That's So Raven, I was wishing for more "Who Cares, when are we gonna see you back on Broadway?" Then again, there were the religous nuts who were condemning Raven of saying pretty nasty things which I will not entertain on this blog. And of course there are the ones who "don't understand why people are called 'brave' when they come out." Oh, Snap!

This isn't the first time that we have experienced this mess, and it definitely won't be the last. Frank Ocean, Jason Collins, Zach Quinto, and a host of others have come out as members of the LGBT community in the time of the twitter and have received the same response that Raven has. And in a sense there is a sense of bravery involved. In what seems like almost forever, Coming out the closet as gay is the stake in the heart of your career. You will be ostracized, nobody will work with you and you'll be relegated to bit parts and the niche LGBT fan base. It's what kept so many people like openly hiding for years(Luther Vandross, anyone?) It was and in certain situations it still is, so Raven coming out and being who she is at the risk of her career is pretty gutsy seeing as though it might affect her roles.

At the end of the day, know this. Raven and everyone else who is in the public eye are there for a reason, to entertain with their talents, not who they are currently banging. Let's be honest, we are all guilty of entertaining that mess, myself included. But they're personal lives should be personal. So good vibes and positivity to Raven Symone. Hope you find happiness with whoever you want and I hope we strive for the day when a persons sexual orientation is no longer a news story

Thanx 4 Lettin Me Vent,

Lawrence J. Weber, Jr

"The Arrogant Observer"

A Real Talk About Race and Why Tavis Smiley is a Bitch

This past week, President Obama came out and spoke about the Trayvon Martin case. What could've been a clunky, awkward push for gun control (as his last remarks were) turned into a passionate glimpse into the racial profiling practices that have been a part of this country for years. During his remarks, he exclaimed that Trayvon Martin could've easily been him 35 years ago:

"There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store"

This sent a shockwave through the country, seeing as though the President so very rarely speaks about race. Many praised him for finally showing that he was not disatached from the experience of being black and he could relate to what so many of us have and are going through. To others, many conservative, it was a way to bash him so many times as they had done before for even speaking about the fact that he is black and has the experiences that most Black men have in America. And, as always, Tavis Smiley was being a bitch, saying that the president was "pushed to the podium" and that his remarks were "as weak as pre-sweetened Kool-Aid." Way to hammer in those stereotypes, Tavis.

Now we'll get to that in a second, but first let's get to these comments. Honestly, my jaw dropped, mainly because he doesn't speak a lot about race and for the first time so many Black folk felt like they weren't "making stuff up." I'll explain. Many of us, particularly Black men, have been profiled in this country because of the fact that many think that we are inherently violent, criminals. That mindset has lead to so many Black men being followed in stores and malls, stopped and frisked, pulled over, and shot and killed for suspicion of having a weapon or being dangerous, the latter being a direct cause of Trayvon Martin's death. Many of these cries have been met with "Oh, those folks are resisting arrest," "You're being paranoid, maybe it because they were just robbed," and the infamous "If you haven't done anything, you shouldn't have anything to worry about." I, and many of my Black male friends have experienced this at least once, if not more and it was refreshing seeing a sitting President saying "I feel your pain" and knowing that he did, at the very least.

Now to Tavis. Shortly after the President's remarks on Friday, Tavis' tweeted this:

This bitch here...Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but if you would let me explain. 

First off, I have NO issues with people expressing their opinion and criticizing the president. That is what being an American is all about. But Tavis has an ulterior motive to this constant hate. You see, he and Princeton University professor Cornel West(The dude with the fro and the gap....Yup, thats him!) have had a personal vendetta against Pres. Obama for quite a number of reasons. In 2008, then Senator Obama declined an invite to Tavis' State of the Black Union, offering his wife Michelle to speak instead. Tavis declined. Originally a supporter, Prof. West wasn't personally offered tickets to his inauguration, stating that the bellhop in the hotel had a ticket and he wasn't able to get one for him and his mother. Since then, the two have been on the warpath,  criticizing him for everything from not talking about race enough, not doing more for black people and being a stronger black leader, even for using Martin Luther King's Bible at the 2013 Inaguration. West has called Obama a "Rockefeller Republican in Blackface," 'a Black mascot," and stated the he has a "certain fear of Black men." The two have made their message clear in their consisent vitriol: We want Obama to be the President of Black America and he isn't being "Black Enough" for our taste (Hence the Kool-Aid reference. You see, I tied it back!!) 

Now while these two may have some sort of point, they're so deeply buried in Bitchassness, that we don't get it. They are trying to put together some sort of poverty bus tour to highlight poverty in Obama's America(cause everyone was making $15 an hour under the Bush Administration.) And while the plight of African Americans is a constant struggle, we will never rise above our adversity, while pulling each other back down into the barrel. So to Mr. Smiley and Prof. West, I leave these words of advice:

"Boy, quit whining like a Bitch and get yo ass to the door!!"

Words to live By....Words to live by....

Thanx 4 Lettin Me Vent,

Lawrence J. Weber, Jr.

"The Arrogant Observer"

I Was Convicted and Sentenced to Death on a Saturday

In the past 5 weeks, I was tried, had my name smeared in the media as a violent thug and this past Saturday, I was convicted of my crime and sentenced to death as many of the news outlets (mostly right-wing) praised it as a triumph of our justice system. Ann Coulter even took some time out from worshipping satan and eating oats in her stable to tweet "Hallelujah" My crime: LOOKING as if I was about to do something.

Now of course, I'm being just a tad bit on the dramatic side, but not by much. This past Saturday, the jury in the George Zimmerman case(the "White Hispanic" turned Stay Puft Marshmallow man who killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin in February of last year)found George not guilty of his crime. Now aside from the fact of being pissed saturday night, it showed me just how much I'm worth to some people. I learned what it feels like to be a problem in America.

Now many on the right wing will tell you that this was a case of self defense. Trayvon and George got into an altercation and once George began losing the fight, he shot in fear for his own life....If they're nice. But the bottom line of it is, if Zimmerman would've stayed in his car AS HE WAS TOLD TO DO, this wouldn't have happened. But as Zimmerman has said in his 911 phone calls, "He looked dangerous" one of the stigmas that many African American men have had to deal with. And before you say "race has nothing to do with this case" and "There you go, playing the race card/race baiting like all you liberals do." First, its a free country. I can say what I please. You don't like it, there's a little red button on the top right(or left for my Mac folks) that'll solve all your problems. Second, ever notice the people who have a tendency to say that the case isn't about race are usually white men? Let's be honest, I would find it wrong and horrible if a 28 yr old black man stalked and killed a 17 yr old white child because a child is dead and the parents have to deal with something NO PARENT SHOULD. But the fact of the matter is, George Zimmerman profiled this kid and thought of him as guilty the moment he stepped outta that car.

***WARNING!! TALK OF RACE!!! MORONS, YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO CLOSE THE WINDOW!***

Thanks for staying with us! Now, if you're curious, I am a young black man in America and this verdict only solidified what had remained in the back of my mind for most of my life. People are inherently afraid of me, not for what I've done, but for who I am. This disgusting practice of racial profiling has become a part of our regular lives. Every black man that I know has a "Boogeyman" story, myself included. For many, its being pulled over and harassed on the suspicion that we've done something wrong, stopped and frisked on the streets, a quick clutch of the purse or lock of the car door, or followed around the store cause ppl "just know" that you're going to steal. For me, it was an indignant man who accused me of stealing laptops when I was in line for a cookie. Most of us have learned the tricks of the trade to survive: "don't talk too loud" "keep your hands out of your pockets" "No sudden movements." For many of us, the only crime we have ever committed was being a black man and many times that crime is punishable by death. Trayvon's name is added to the long list of young black men whose lives were cut short. Men like Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo and countless others who never lived up to the full potential of their lives because they were cut down by implicit racism and unwarranted suspicion. This verdict was not just one man who killed a child getting off, it is a bold message to Florida and the rest of the country: "It's okay to kill a young black man, he was a thug and was probably guilty of something anyway."

What also hurts is the consistent dehumanizing of this 17 year old by many members of the media. The discovery of text messages that allegedly stated that he "liked to fight." The reports of trace amounts of marijuana in his system(cause weed makes you SOOO violent,) his pictures which show him with gold teeth all added to the idea that he was a dangerous, violent thug and that he provoked his own death. What infuriated me was the comments that George's brother Robert made on Piers Morgan shortly after the verdict:

"I want to know what makes people angry enough to attack someone the way Trayvon Martin did. I want to know if it is true, and I don't know if it's true, that Trayvon Martin was looking to procure firearms, was growing dru.. marijuana plants or was making 'lean' or whatever he was doing. I want to know that every minor, high schooler that would be reaching out in some way for help and they may feel it's by procuring firearms or whatever it is they may be doing, that they have some kind of help."

First off, how bout a big deep fried fuck you, Bobby. If there was any question that the Zimmerman's were racists from George, Robert's stupid ass decided to earn his place in the hated box right next to his brother. First off, what the hell is with people nowadays who say BLATANT LIES on television and pass it off as fact. It's like a daily damn occurrence! Secondly, you are callously speaking lying about a child who is dead. A CHILD THAT YOUR BROTHER KILLED! To rub salt in the wound of a grieving family like that is just evil. But it may get you a show on Fox News.

In his book, The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. DuBois wrote,

“Between me and the other world there is ever an unasked question: unasked by some through feelings of delicacy; by others through the difficulty of rightly framing it. All, nevertheless, flutter round it. How does it feel to be a problem?”


Melissa Harris Perry highlighted this on this past Sunday's program:

"DuBois was pointing to something different. Not just having problems, but being a problem. How does it feel to be a problem? To have your very body and the bodies of your children to be assume to be criminal, violent, malignant.


How does it feel to be trapped on the roof of your home as the flood waters rise and be called a refugee?


How does it feel to wear the symbol of your faith and be assumed to be a terrorist threat to your own nation?


How does it feel to have the president who looks like you demanded to produce proof of his citizenship?


How does it feel to know that when you speak the language of your parents, you will be assumed to be illegal?


How does it feel to know that if you marry the person you love, some will say you are destroying the very fabric of the nation?


How does it feel to fear sending your son to the 7-Eleven for a bag of Skittles on a rainy night?"

As we go about our days, I have heard many people say "What do I tell my children?" I have often been burdened with that myself as I am a target whenever I walk out my door or get behind the wheel of a car. So I say this, tell them to be careful. Tell them to stand proud and tall and know that they are not what the world thinks of them. Tell them to pray that people will open their minds and know that danger doesn't always come with a black face. And most importantly, tell them that one day, they will grow into a person that can help change minds so that another will not have to perish at the hands of ignorance, be it a Subway station in Oakland or a gated community in Sanford.


Rest In Peace, Trayvon. And too many others.

Thanx 4 lettin me vent,


Lawrence J. Weber, Jr.


"The Arrogant Observer"