Essay 459

It’s hard out here for a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• It’s hard out here for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp.” There’s a growing negative response to Three 6 Mafia’s Academy Award winner. Talk shows are griping — Chris Matthews and Al Sharpton performed a rant duet on Hardball. The Washington Post published a story with more complainers. “It was a struggle for us [during the Oscars telecast] because we wanted to root for the blacks, but the blacks were pimps and hos on the Oscars, so it was confounding,” one viewer said. “Image is everything, and we have to be so careful about the way we position ourselves in front of larger audiences.” Oops. Too late.

• Hood College in Maryland sparked controversy when a lesbian was crowned homecoming king. “It is cool that Hood allows people to be themselves,” the appointed king claimed. “If people didn’t want me to be king, they wouldn’t have nominated me and voted for me.” Hey, Three 6 Mafia could say the same about their Oscar win.

• Yanni was arrested for a domestic dispute after allegedly beating up his girlfriend. And folks are whining about Three 6 Mafia being hardcore and potentially violent?

• Two people pleaded guilty to secretly videotaping Michael Jackson when the King of Pop flew in their charter jet. Assistant U.S. Atty. Daniel Shallman said, “These guys went out and tried to make a bundle of money by attempting to sell these tapes to the tabloids… It was pure greed.” It’s hard out here for a pilot.

• A moron in Atlanta is launching a legal fight with Wal-Mart over a parody t-shirt. The man compared the retailer with Nazis, incorporating “WAL-OCAUST” into his design. Wal-Mart took offense and sought to legally stop the man. Now the t-shirt producer is suing, claiming his rights to free speech are being violated. “My stuff is in bad taste, because what Wal-Mart does is in bad taste,” the man said. Now there’s a brilliant legal strategy.

• Consumer groups are already protesting the planned buyout of BellSouth by AT&T, claiming the deal would hurt competition and increase prices. Additionally, AT&T admits the combination might lead to the loss of 10,000 jobs. Maybe they should revise their tagline to, “Your world. Downsized.”

• A Brookings Institute study shows a growing diversity across the country. Minority populations are increasing in places like Las Vegas, Atlanta and Orlando. Plus, White numbers declined in over 100 metropolitan areas including Los Angeles and New York. However, the figures do not apply to the advertising industry in any of these regions.