Michael Jackson "This Is It" - Directed by Spike Lee

Michael Jackson - This Is It - Directed by Spike Lee from 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks on Vimeo.

Dopeness...Peace to the King of Pop

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

I Miss Claire Huxtable...

It's been about 18 years since people saw Claire Huxtable on their TV screens every week. When she was around, millions of people got to see a successful, beautiful, hard working, positive black woman, being shown as a dynamic mother and wife. She was a perfect blend of sexiness, intelligence, class, and elegance. Claire Huxtable paved the way for other powerful, successful, black female television personalities, both real and fictitious. Everyone from Whitley Gilbert and Toni Childs, to Oprah Winfrey was a product of the Claire Huxtable era of television.

Unfortunately though, all good things must come to an end. The Claire Huxtables of the world have been replaced by Nene Leakes, The Bad Girls Club and every black girl on any show on Vh1. Instead of seeing positive black mothers on television, we get treated to a weekly dose of Frankie & Neffe.

As a matter of fact, once Girlfriends and The Game got cut off, I think we lost just about every single show where black women aren't being portrayed as loud-mouthed, confrontational, oversexed, fame chasing coons. It's sickening how negatively black women are displayed to millions of viewers every day, but it's even more disturbing how many black women are the biggest supporters of these shows.

Out of all the Real Housewives series' on Bravo, it's no surprise that the most popular one happens to be the one with the predominantly black cast. That's because black female audiences tune in to watch our people embarrass themselves at a much higher rate than white female audiences do. White women would rather watch American Idol than keep Rock of Love on television. Meanwhile, For the Love of Ray J. continues to be one of Vh1's highest rated shows...guess who's watching.

Claire Huxtable couldn't survive on today's small screen if she tried. She spoke too intelligently to be folded into today's bad grammar and FCC censors. Her sexiness was too subtle to have gotten noticed in today's world of exposed cleavage and blurred out private parts. She set a bar for other black women to follow. So the next time you're sitting in front of the TV watching Nene cooning, or watching Porsha fight Natalie on Bad Girls Club, ask yourself what type of woman you would've grown up to become had you been looking at that mess back when you were searching the TV Guide for a black woman to aspire to.

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

New Years Resolutions = Procrastination

As we enter into the new year, we also enter into the time of year where people start to convince themselves that starting Jan. 1, their lives will take some magical turn, their luck will change, their money will grow, their weight will reduce, and they will find the one person they couldn't find in the past 360+ days. I've learned a few things as I've gotten older, and one of them is that New Year's Resolution is just a fancy phrase for excuses.

Resolutions are an excuse to wait on the coming year to start making life changing alterations to yourself when you could be doing something today. If you don't accomplish the goals you set out to, then you can just blame it on not following through with your New Year's Resolutions. The whole thing is a joke to me. If you want to do something, the worst way to get started is by saying I'll wait until next year.

It may sound cliche, but tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. To spend the last month of the year saying what you're going to do at the beginning of the year is nothing more than a waste of time. Whether you want to lose weight, get a promotion, cut off your ex, or start saving money, it doesn't have to wait until tomorrow. And for those huge goals that can't be implemented today, you should at least start planning what you have to do to reach them.

It takes patience to watch seeds grow and become fruitful, but you don't have to wait to plant them.

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

Random Question of the Day: Single Ladies Edition

Why do you think most successful black women are single??? Single in this case means not married, because let's face it, at the age that most people become successful, they could care less about whether or not they have a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Bonus question: Do you think that women allow other relationships (friends, television, movies, books, etc.) to create unrealistic expectations of men (i.e. they want what they see other people have, instead of figuring out what really makes them happy)?

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

Burn Rubber & Acapulco Gold Present: "Detroit Riots"

Detroit area sneaker and clothing boutique, Burn Rubber has teamed up with designer, Acapulco Gold to create the "Detroit Riots" collaboration. Inspired by the 1967 riots, the series brings light to how far we’ve come as a society but also shows how close we are to repeating history if issues are not only addressed but corrected.

Additionally eight local Detroit rap artists have been recruited to collaborate on a track produced by Detroit musician Black Milk. For more info as well as "Detroit Riots" wallpaper and ringtones, check out their website.

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

Air Jordan XI "Space Jam" Retro Release

If you remember back in July we posted about the retro release of the Space Jam Jordan's. Originally set to release in November, the shoe got pushed back an entire month, but they hit stores today, just in time for the holidays.

Who went out and stood in line for a pair?

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

A Little Christmas Romance With Luther!

One of my favorite holiday jams!

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

New Skytop Hits the Streets

The Skytop II dropped in ATL today. I'm waiting for a colorway with less white in it, but these deserved a re-post for being just that dope.

-MiKe

mike@theantandmikeshow.com

Zoe Covers Complex

Zoe Saldana covers the new issue of Complex. This has been a big year for Zoe. Check her out in the sci-fi adventure flick, Avatar, on Decmeber 18th.

-MiKe

mike@theantandmikeshow.com

And The #2 One Hit Wonder of the Decade Is...

Fat Joe was named Billboards #2 One Hit Wonder of the Decade for the super duper anthem, Lean Back! To be fair, the spot was officially given to Terror Squad and not Fat Joe, but we all know whose song that was.



Some other (barely) recognizable names that cracked the top five are #4 MIMS with "This is Why I'm Hot", and #5 D4L with "Laffy Taffy."

Editor's Note: I Personally don't think Fat Joe is a one hit wonder...he made MAKE IT RAIN!!! Billboard should do a "Best Strip Club Songs of the Decade" list. Guaranteed he's top three!

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

Vibe Is Back!!

After becoming the latest magazine to fold in these times of internet reading, Vibe magazine relaunches with the Everybody Hates Chris/Everybody Loves Drake issue (aka the lightskinned dude issue) which is expected to hit newsstands on December 9th.

Editors Note: If I were you though I would hold out on that subscription for a minute. Glad to see 'em back!

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

Random Question of the Day: Bad Holiday Gift Edition

If the person you're dating got you a Christmas gift you didn't like, would you put on a phony smile and graciously accept it, or be honest and ask them to return/exchange it for something else?

Bonus: Is a gift card too impersonal of a gift to get someone you're romantically involved with?

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com

Burberry Black Label

Could've found one black model in London somewhere, but other than that, these are some baaaaaaaad coats!

-Ant

ant@theantandmikeshow.com