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Since “The View” discussion, it seems like everyone is weighing in and periodically the n-word does become a hot topic for discussion. I don’t know how much more there is to discuss, because it seems as though most people have similar opinions on the usage of the word, which are contingent upon their sensitivities, personal experiences, background, race, ethnicity, etc. Same ole, same ole.

Access Hollywood recently caught up with actor Taye Diggs, who happens to have a white wife, and I mention that, because I thought it would have been more interesting if they had asked him questions on how this word affects their relationship. Is it used? Can his wife use it? Has she used it? Has anyone ever called him it in front of his wife? Now, that would have been something worth reading. However, here is his take on the word---something we haven’t heard before:

“They can have an opinion, but… don’t take a word that you created and called me for many, many years, and then me being in my position, have the strength to change what it means in my own culture. Don’t try to take it back now. Now it’s ours. Leave it alone.”

Donald Faison, “Scrubs” actor added his ten cents:

“I don’t think Elisabeth Hasselbeck would ever have to worry being called the ‘N-word’ … For her to be offended by it, it’s kind of weird. African-Americans have used it now as a term of endearment, or how to describe a situation. So for her to say something like that, she has no idea what power it has over anyone.”

If I were conducting the interview I would ask Faison the same questions.

Reference:
MSNBC

Black Enterprise magazine will feature a list of the top 25 moneymakere in Hollywood. Here is a list of the top ten with excerpts from the press release:

No. 1 is media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey

No. 2 Shonda Rimes “the buzz and the advertising dollars Grey's Anatomy has generated for ABC Network and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., powered her to the upper echelons of the ranking”

No. 3 Will Smith “earning a reported $20 million, plus a percentage of the box office gross, for each big-budget film he appears in…his films have grossed $4.9 billion worldwide”

No. 4 Denzel Washington “American Gangster generated some $223 million worldwide”

No. 5 Halle Berry “reportedly is not making the $14 million salary she earned during her Catwoman days, she still receives about $10 million per flick”

Rounding out the list's top 10 are Jamie Foxx (No. 6); The Wayans Family (No. 7); Martin Lawrence (No. 8); Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens (No. 9); and Laurence Fishburne (No. 10).

Where's Tyra, Tyler, and Diddy? Guess we will have to wait for the rest of the list. This may be the same list Essence has.

Reference:
http://www.blackenterprise.com/

According to Newsweek, there are over 200 syndicated comic strips in U.S. newspapers, but only 15 show strips with regular black characters by black cartoonist. So on February 10th, Darrin Bell, a black cartoonist ("Candorville") and eight other cartoonists are going to hold a demonstration. And all black cartoonists don't write/draw strip soley based on black characters or storylines.

No. They won't be picketing outside newspaper offices, but on February 10th, each will be drawing a variation of the same comic strip. This will be a smack at readers and editors who treat all of their work as being the same.

Most of the newsprint black comic strips I have seen tend to appear to be quite similar in themes. Newsweek asked Bell, why did they decide to act on this now?

Bell: "I just thought, enough is enough. When one of my cartoons gets added to a page, I dread asking my syndicate what I replaced because it's too often one of the other 15 "black" strips, even though they have nothing to do with mine thematically. Many of us have even been told: adding one means cutting another."
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Follow the jump to see who else is participating in this protest.