Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Black History Month in July: Part IV

Black History Month Great Black Person #16 of 28: JP from Angels in the Outfield
 
When I was a kid, Angels in the Outfield was one of my top 10 favorite movies. Now it's top 5. Last year, my softball team was losing badly, so I started waving my arms like an angel from left field and isome of the other guys did it too... pretty cool... except for the angels didn't show up and we lost 22-5. Anyway... JP... what a cute kid. He's my favorite character in the movie, which is saying something, cuz I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I feel the attached pic really captures JP's essence. The only bad thing is it came from a website called boyactors.org, which seems hella shady.

Black History Month Great Black Person #17 of 28:
Donald Glover


You probably know Donald Glover as Troy from the tv show Community (great show), but he's a veritable black of all trades. He was a writer for another great show, 30 Rock, a member of the popular comedy troupe Derrick Comedy, and is a pretty legit rapper, rapping under the stage name Childish Gambino. The rap gig is particularly appealing to me cuz he raps over songs from indie bands (Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Sleigh Bells) and does it with more wit, charm, and style than 90% of real rappers out there. (I'm looking at all but one of you, Wu-Tang Clan.) Glover also earned a cult following on twitter after he launched a campaign to be the first black spiderman in the next spiderman movie. #happyBHM @donaldglover!


Black History Month Great Black Person #18 of 28: LeVar Burton
 
Before Reading Rainbow, I always thought that the most I could possibly go was a high as a butterfly, but no, that show taught me I can go TWICE as high. Now I know that LeVar Burton has done more than just Reading Rainbow, but Roots and Star Trek weren't exactly of interest to me as a child, so I'm sticking with nostalgia. Thank you LeVar, for showing me Where The Wild Things Are, for letting me ride on The Magic School Bus, and explaining what happens If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Happy BHM LeVar, you are truly deserving of this honor... but you don't hafta take my word for it...

Love, DaVid


Black History Month Great Black Person #19 of 28: Carlton Banks
 
Where would we be without the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Probably still in West Philadelphia getting in fights with guys who are up to no good. And where would the show be without snarky cousin Carlton? I don't even wanna think such thoughts. The short, preppy Carlton was always good for a laugh, but let's not forget the impact he had on the world we live in today. Carlton made it okay for african-americans to wear pastel colors. You're welcome, Kanye. He made it cool to be polite and well-spoken. You're welcome, Wayne Brady. He invented a little dance that's fun and easy to do. You're welcome, white people. So thank you Carlton, for all that you did, and continue to do in re-runs on TV Land.

Black History Month Great Black Person #20 of 28: the Chief from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
 
Without the Chief, we may never have been able to find Carmen Sandiego. Her firm leadership and impeccable clue-giving enabled gumshoes everywhere to stay right on tail of the elusive crminal mastermind. Of course, half of those gumshoes were too retarded to get the loot and the warrant BEFORE the arrest, letting the crook off scot-free, but that's hardly the Chief's fault. Yes Chief, we couldn't have done it without you... of course, if Carmen was hiding in Africa, southeast Asia, or eastern Europe, we couldn't do it with you. Seriously, nobody ever won when it was Asia. Anyway, thank you Chief for your many years of service... we salute you!

This post was paid for by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the annual support of Viewers Like You.

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