“Today,” of course, was actually Sunday, because, shockingly, I’m behind again. Ah, these things happen. At the least information’s continuing to come in at a relatively rapid clip.
I know I said the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were inevitably going to go down as one of the most entertaining panel openings of the trip, and I stand by that statement…but, having said that, the beginning of BET’s luncheon wasn’t half-bad, either. The network provided a full gospel choir to sing us through our salad, then began the panels just as we were working our way through lunch. I couldn’t really tell how many others in the audience dug the music, but, at least for me, it was a case where the choir’s enthusiasm was downright infectious. The panels were introduced by Reginald Hudlin, who you probably know for his directing of “House Party” and Eddie Murphy’s “Boomerang.” Me, however, I’m kicking myself that I didn’t corner him to ask him when he’s gonna write a script for a “Black Panther” movie. Maybe I can get someone from BET to let me talk to him on the phone long enough to get that answer out of him…
But I digress. There were two panels on the BET plate: “BUFU,” an animated sketch comedy show from the minds of Orlando Jones (“Mad TV”) and Ali Leroi (“Everybody Hates Chris”). Now, personally, I love “Everybody Hates Chris,” and I’ve always thought that Orlando Jones was consistently funny, so I’m very psyched to check this out…especially since the clips were hilarious, particularly the one where they mercilessly mock Tyra Banks’ big forehead.
“I’m not saying anything that Tyra, herself, has not said,” swears Jones. “So we are not introducing the notion that Tyra has a big forehead to anybody. She’s said it. She said it to me. She said it on air. So, ultimately, we are just sort of picking up where she left off and taking the joke to the next level as opposed to the statement of fact, which is her going, ‘You know, I’m a model, but I have a big forehead, unlike the rest of you,’ which was essentially her comment. And we are at the next level, but I don’t consider her in any way a target.”
Other things you’ll see:
* “Is Bryant Gumbel street enough?”
* A sketch about Rev. Al Sharpton
* A “devastatingly funny” bit featuring Barack Obama and his hand puppet, Bam. “(He’s) kind of Barack’s alter ego,” explains Leroi, “who will not say things that are respectful and decent. Barack has to go, ‘Don’t say that, man.'”
There is not, however, a bit on Oprah. Why not? “We are afraid of Oprah,” admits Jones. “But we do have a bit on Gayle King, because we are not afraid of Gayle King.” (“That,” adds Leroi, “is the bit.”)
Still, this begged the question, “Why are you afraid of Oprah?” Leroi began to answer the question, throwing out things like her infinite supply of money and power, and started to indicate that, basically, she could make them disappear if she wanted…but Jones immediately shushed him. “Say nothing,” he ordered, telling the reporter, simply, “We are afraid of Oprah because we are afraid of Oprah.” (He then looked around in a panic before moving on to take the next question.)
