Everything Underground's Media Column
By Ron Wynn

    Chris Rock has certainly achieved the primary objective that the 
Oscar
folks had in mind when they tabbed him as host for the event. He's 
brought
them plenty of controversy and publicity, ensuring a larger audience 
for the
Feb. 27th event. Unfortunately, Rock also had to deal with some 
ridiculous
nonsense generated from a right-wing columnist that specializes in both
inaccuracy and gossip. Matt Drudge's slime-ball "Drudge Report" took 
several
remarks Rock made in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
out-of-context, claiming that they showed Rock was homophobic, biased 
and
uninterested in movies. He also "reported" that a number of
behind-the-scenes types in Hollywood were getting nervous about Rock 
hosting
and wanted him replaced. Gil Cates, executive producer of the Oscars, 
even
felt obligated to refute the contention, saying in numerous interviews 
that
he understood Rock was only kidding in his comments, and that he was
actually providing them what they wanted, frank, topical responses and
commentary.
    Actually, what Rock was doing is his stock-in-trade, acerbic, 
pointed
reflections on various topical material. His comments that "no straight
Black man watches the Oscars" and "he didn't give a f-about the Oscars
except when Black actors were nominated" are so obviously exaggerations 
it
is amazing any sane person even raised an eyebrow. Furthermore, the 
Oscars,
like so many other awards shows, are extremely overrated in terms of 
their
appeal and importance. It's far past time someone stop acting as though 
they
were some sort of coronation, when they're just popularity polls. The
comment that really should have been closely examined was Rock's 
statement
about how foolish it was to give awards for art. Certainly, it helps 
careers
to get Oscar or Grammy or Emmy awards, and there aren't many Black 
actors
inside or outside Hollywood who wouldn't gladly accept one. But for 
anyone
to act as though Oscar awards truly are indicators of artistic merit is 
at
best naïve, and at worse purposefully ignorant. It still has been funny
watching the controversy unfold in the pages of Entertainment 
Weekly
and other journals.
    Speaking one last time about Oscars, if Jamie Foxx doesn't win the 
Best
Actor award, then things really haven't changed very much in Hollywood. 
He's
swept every other honor prior to the Oscars, and has been on the cover 
of
everything from Entertainment Weekly to Jet and 
Premiere.
Interestingly, Foxx may actually have done his finest pure acting job 
in
Redemption, a film about an imprisoned gang leader that earned 
him an
Independent Spirit award nomination (for independent films). Hopefully, 
Foxx
will use his newly found clout to get better roles for himself and also
opportunities for other Black directors, producers, writers, actors, 
etc. An
example of how this can be used is in Denzel Washington getting the 
rights
to produce a new film based on Wil Haygood's tremendous biography of 
Sammy
Davis, Jr. Washington will get full creative control on the picture,
including choices of actors, directors, writers, etc. That's what 
winning an
Oscar can do for someone.
    The latest issue of The Source spotlights the long, often 
stormy
relationship between Jay-Z, Kareem "Biggs" Burke and Damon Dash. The 
former
longtime partners in Roc-A-Fella records are now going their own way.
Irregardless of whatever one may think about any of these people, the 
fact
that the Roc-A-Fella name now belongs Island/Def Jam and can't be used
without permission of label head Sean Carter is highly problematic.  
Jay-Z
has resigned Foxy Brown to the label, as well as Memphis Bleek. 
Cam'ron,
Samathan Ronson, Nicole Wray and maybe Beanie Sigel are supposedly 
going
with Dash.  The fates of several others, most notably Kanye West, 
remain
unsettled.  Kim Osorio's article walks a tight line, not taking 
anyone's
side, just laying out the details and leaving impressions to the 
reader. The
magazine also has its Spring 2005 special supplement, plus an interview 
with
Gabrielle Union, a fine actress who doesn't always use the greatest 
judgment
in role selection.
    Alicia Keys is featured in the Feb. 24 issue of Rolling 
Stone,
though the cover went to Green Day. While it isn't the most informative
interview ever published, Keys reveals her love of Nina Simone, Stevie
Wonder, Gwen Stefani and U2, and also admits at one time she liked New 
Kids
on the Block (!).  Though not about music, a far more informative 
article is
Eric Klineburg's expose on Sinclair Broadcasting, America's most 
right-wing
network (even more than Fox News Network). He describes an organization 
that
recently got national coverage for its attempt at ramming an anti-John 
Kerry
documentary down its stations' throat, and also gave wide exposure to
Armstrong Williams long before it was revealed he took $240,000 from 
the
Bush administration to promote its education policies in the media. 
Sinclair
is the largest single owner of television stations in America, 
something
that should frighten everyone that really cares about the illusion of a 
free
press.
    If you didn't get the annual Bob Marley memorial copy of The 
Beat,
don't miss the March issue of Mojo. It has great articles on both
Marley and the late Sir Coxsone Dodd, reggae's greatest producer and 
label
impresario. It also has a good retrospective on Dodd's invaluable 
Studio One
company, and there's a free sampler CD of Studio One classics included 
along
with the magazine. Mississippi rapper David Banner is the cover subject 
of
the March Fader.  Banner's two CDs are an intriguing, if erratic, 
mix
of hip-hop, delta blues and soul, and also includes several songs 
urging
young people to get more involved with their community.  He also talks 
about
his hopes that the Emmitt Till case will be reopened, and his desire to
expand his skills into acting.
    Finally, newly elected Senator Barack Obama is the cover subject of 
the
latest Black Issues Book Review, even though his memoir was 
published
10 years ago.  David Anthony Durham has a fine article about Hannibal, 
the
North African military leader who should be as widely known as 
Alexander the
Great, and Marjorie Valbrun explores Haiti's lost literary legacy.

(Ron Wynn is editor of Everything Underground)