Hey Mofos!

I've been a little busy as usual, but this time healing from grief, which is stirring up other ish but I'll write about that in the next post. This post is about me flexing a whole different hosting muscle and that's by recapping TV shows! It's so fun! 

For Hollywood Junket, I have been talking about this season's "Claim to Fame" episodes. If you haven't watched this show, I suggest going to Hulu and checking it out. It's so fun trying to guess who these people are related to! 

Here are a few of the shows! Let me know what you think! 

I'm hooked on this dang game show now! 

Keep watching!

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

I was super hype to chat with Gina Thompson! Talk about a throwback! I actually met her in 1997--she was one of the first music artists I had been around because she was in the building the day I interviewed Case, which was my very first celeb interview everrrrr. The place: East Tennessee State University and I was in college and sooooooooooo unprepared LOL. But, both her and Case taught me and my classmates an important lesson-- make sure all of your equipment is working, and control the interview. 

Anyhoo--I was wondering where she was, and she just happens to be back with some new music! So, here's the Check the Rhymes TV interview:

I love how she stresses the importance of mental health! 

As always, leave comments on the YouTube channel and subscribe! 

~Meik

Hey mofos!

Are you wrestling fans? I chatted with Bobby Lashley on Check the Rhymes TV about the "Survivor Series" that airs this weekend. I know nothing about wrestling, so he definitely had to explain stuff like I'm slow LOL. 

Check it out:

Who is your favorite wrestler?

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

Y'all know I hates me a cheater right? If you forgot, then comb thru the archives on here and you'll remember how this blog even got started! Anyhoo, THEEEEEE Tami Roman is hosting a new VH1 show called "Caught in the Act: Unfaithful" and it's a remix of the classic show "Cheaters" even tho she says it's not THAT show. It has some strong similarities, with a hint of education and hood thrown in for good measure. 

Anyhoo, Tami and I chopped it up on Check the Rhymes, peep it out here:

Have you ever caught someone in the act? Do tell! 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

I had the best convo with one of my favs, B. Scott. They were one of the ones I used to watch on YouTube doing celeb interviews before I switched gears and started doing them. Anyhoo, B. Scott is making more history with a talk show on BET-- after suing the network years ago! 

B. Scott talked a lot about the power of forgiveness so you can remain open to new opportunities. A WORD! 

Check out our convo on Check the Rhymes here:

Have you checked out the show yet? 

~Meik 

Hey Mofos! 

I am so excited for this new Starz series Black Mafia Family that premieres 9/26. 

Here's what the show is about: “BMF" (aka Black Mafia Family) is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980’s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in the country. Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory’s charismatic leadership, Terry “Southwest T” Flenory’s business acumen and the fraternal partnership’s vision beyond the drug trade and into the world of Hip Hop would render the brothers iconic on a global level. Their unwavering belief in family loyalty would be the cornerstone of their partnership and the crux of their eventual estrangement.

I sat in on a press junket and got to ask Lil Meech and KA$H Doll a question for Check the Rhymes. Press play! 

Will you be watching? 

~Meik 

Hey Mofos! 

I'm back with another movie review! I was super intrigued about this film about Tammy Faye Bakker especially knowing a little bit about her life with Jim Bakker. I had to check out the screening of In the Eyes of Tammy Faye.

If you aren't familiar with who the Bakkers are, let me give you the quick rundown:

Jim Bakker is a televangelist and he and Tammy (his then wife) hosted the television show “The PTL Club” and they developed Heritage USA, a now defunct Christian theme park in South Carolina. Bakker’s shady ass was convicted and imprisoned on multiple counts of fraud and ish in 1989. Tammy got some sense and divorced him and eventually remarried. One of the things she was often mocked for was all that darn makeup she would wear and her squeaky voice. She passed away from colon cancer in 2007, and Jim is still outchea frauding and thieving at 80 something years old.

Caught up? Cool. Let’s discuss the film.

The film is based on the 2000 documentary of the same name, and captures the magic of who Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker) was beyond the headlines. Director Michael Showalter and screenwriter Abe Sylvia did a great job of humanizing this larger than life woman that has intrigued many of us over the years.

I still have questions about how she thought it was cute to go preach the word with this man with puppets, but that’s none of my business. 

Jessica Chastain does an amazing job at playing Tammy Faye, from the heavy makeup to the Betty Boop voice, the performance is spot on.  The film made me understand that the heavier the makeup got, the more it was a way for Tammy to protect herself from everything in her life crumbling into tiny pieces, and hiding her unhappiness. I UNDERSTAND. Now, what I don't get is why the folks around her, hell even Jim, didn't say "girl.. now girl.. you know damn hell well that is too much makeup," but I guess when you doing devil work, those things fall to the wayside. AND SHE GOT THE LIP LINER AND EYEBROWS  TATTOOED ON?! 

But now, I wanna know if she had bad skin from all this or.. nevermind, lemme get back to what I was talking about. I thought it was so cool that the film was shot in and around Charlotte, after all this is the scene of where PTL took it's mighty tumble. I also loved how they used old footage of Ted Koppel's interview and added the actors to it. It gave it a little more of a realistic feel for me. The "secular press" threat is always looming over the PTL Ministry which ultimately helps bring light to the evil-doings that were going on. 

Now this has to be said, Tammy Faye and Jim are the most annoying people ever. The cheesy laughs, the squeaky voices, the just "oh golly gee wilkers" of it all tore my last good nerve up. Even when Jim is telling her that he had an affair (and side note-- I didn't know Jim got down like THAAAAAT..and when you watch, you'll know wtf I mean..so come back and let's discuss), but anyway, he says, "the devil is coming for me, Tammy." Tammy cannot be bothered as she is slathering more makeup on top of the caked on ish on her face by responding, "Can we talk about Satan later? You know, I'm trying to feel like myself, again."

I wasn't sure if this was in the words of Andrew Chad DeliverT Caldwell says, "making a 'mock' of them" or if this was really how they talked and acted. It's extreme and campy, but looking at past footage--I just.. well, again it humanizes them, but I hollered when Jim comes for her whiny voice. Who knew the cult.. errrr church folks???? could shade like this?! 

You can’t help but want to see Tammy Faye win, especially at her lowest point when her marriage is over and she can’t quite grab a hold of the spotlight again or even the lifestyle she was used to, but you also want to shake her and wonder WHYYYYYYYY are/were you with this triflin ass man? Speaking of Jim Bakker, Andrew Garfield portrays him as someone who doesn’t have the balls or umph to make his dreams come true until he meets Tammy. Chastain and Garfield are perfectly cast in this film. 

But the one that stole the movie for me was Tammy's mother played by Cherry Sutton. That lady wasn't fooled for one second and knew Jim wasn't about ish, and I was here for her stoic ain't with the shits demeanor. 

My main question is for the many folks that donated their hard earn money to PTL every single time they went on the air with their sob stories, religious proclamations, and over the top antics. This film left many questions unanswered for me, like where did Tammy & Jim get the money to even start PTL? 

This film did give a closer look at Tammy Faye and her intentions. I do think she meant well and then it took a darn turn. I could relate on the levels of not feeling good enough, pretty enough, and hiding behind a mask of who you are to put on a front for the public. The film paints a sympathetic picture of a woman that was unhappy but had the "He mine, Imma stick beside him," mentality because he told her it was for God and she believed it. 

There’s Oscar buzz around this film, but y’all know I’m still partial to RESPECT so IDK about all that yet. Overall, this was a good film, and for someone that walked in not really knowing much about Tammy Faye, this gave a good overview of the woman that just wanted to do the Lord's work and love everyone. 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye opens in theaters on September 17. Let me know if you go check it out and what you think! 

Hey Mofos! 

Now I don't usually watch scary movies, or dark thrillers so I wasn't sure what I was going to get with the new film "The Night House." The psychological horror film is directed by David Bruckner and features a female lead that is dealing with the heaviness of grief. If you have ever experienced grief, then you can relate to this film, minus the parts that make you jump to the ceiling. Let's get into the deets: Rebecca Hall stars as a woman dealing with the suicide of her husband Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). It's like the film "Ghost" where she can still sense him around her dark ass house--you know in hindsight, maybe if she turned the lights on...nevermind, I digress. Anyhoo, she starts to uncover some the skeletons in her husband's closet and it ain't pretty. 

I was so spooked, I couldn't keep track of what dark secrets she discovered, but I think my favorite scene was when Beth (Hall) had to check this parent at her job for demanding a grade change. Her response got my attention and from that moment on, I was team Beth! 

The Searchlight film will be in theaters on August 20. 

Peep the trailer:

Be prepared--there are some LOUD moments in the film, so take someone with you that you can hold onto while watching! 

Let me know if you go check it out! 

~Meik

I always love some good television and this show I'm about to tell you about is one you don't want to miss a single episode of! 

Think 'Girlfriends' meets 'Sex in the City' except replace the main characters with four Black men with the same name Johnson and they live in Atlanta in 2021. See that remix there? I do love that this show has real life situations from the Black male perspective. The show premieres tonight, 8/1 at 8pm on Bounce TV. 

The series features D.L. Hughley and spotlights an ensemble cast that includes Deji LaRay, Thomas Q. Jones, Philip Smithey, and Derrex Brady. The show is produced in partnership between Eric C. Rhone & Cedric The Entertainer's A Bird & A Bear Entertainment along with Deji & Thomas' Midnight Train Productions, and Reesha L. Archibald serves as one of the executive producers on the show. 

Here's the trailer: 

I participated in a press conference and got to ask Deji and Thomas a question about including women's nuances into the script. 

Peep it here:

So let me know if you plan to watch and if you do--come back and share your thoughts! 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

It's my favorite time of year-- time for Black Music Honors! While it sucks to not be able to be there in person in the audience as I have in previous years and on the red carpet, however, I was able to join in on the press conference for the 6th annual event and ask Angie Stone a question! Let me just say--I was thrown off by the fineness that is known as Ginuwine! 

Peep the quick interview here:

 Hey Mofos! 

Up next on the Black Music Month spotlight train is Father M.C.! He stopped by Check the Rhymes and we chatted about his new music and took a trip down memory lane -- 30+ years since his debut album, Uptown Records, and working with Mary J. Blige and Jodeci. Check it out cuz he is a helluva story teller: 

Did you have a favorite Father M.C. song? Lemme know in the comments! 

~Meik

Hey Mofos or shall I say, "How yewww doin?"

Another weekend of some goodT television. I sat in on another press junket, but wasn't able to ask anything, but let me tell you something-- the swag I received from Lifetime was EVERYTHING but anyoo let me get back on topic!  Listen, I know some of y'all don't always agree with what Wendy Williams says during Hot Topics or even from her radio show days, but I do know you will want to tune into her biopic. I watched the screener and it is an amazing movie. 

Let's get into the deets shall we?  

Talk show host Wendy Williams executive produces the biopic on her life, revealing the highs and lows she has experienced throughout the years. Wendy has made herself the go-to source for great celebrity dish on her hit talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, but recently the spotlight has turned towards her. The authorized project provides a revealing look at Wendy’s journey, from her scrappy upstart days in urban radio to the success of her own syndicated talk show. Despite all the naysayers and obstacles Wendy encountered throughout her life, her strength and determination have allowed her to thrive. Ciera Payton takes on the lead role while Morocco Omari stars as Wendy’s ex-husband Kevin Hunter. When I tell you those two did the entire DAMN THING! whew.. had me triggered just watching some of those scenes. 

Check the movie out on Saturday, January 30 at 8 pm/7c, immediately followed by the “Wendy Williams: What a Mess!” Documentary at 10 pm/9c. 

Grab your snacks, and come on back to the blog and let me know what you think after you watch! 

~Meik