Johnny Depp As Tonto Doesn’t Feel Quite Right

One of my old favorite TV shows gets an update.

Frankly I am a bit torn on this one:

The Hollywood image of Tonto once had the Lone Ranger’s sidekick wearing a thin headband and lots of dangling fringes. The latest Disney version has a shirtless Johnny Depp adorned with feathers, a face painted white with black stripes, and a stuffed crow on his head.

The character in the upcoming “The Lone Ranger” still speaks broken English and chants prayers. But Depp has said he’s less subservient, honors the proud American Indian warrior and displays a dry sense of humor seen throughout Indian Country. The production even hired a Comanche adviser, making it decidedly a Comanche story, and received the blessing of other tribes through ceremonies during filming.

Yet Disney has caught flak for what some say is the perpetuation of stereotypes through a character that lacks any real cultural traits. Moviegoers will have to wait until July 3 to see how all this plays out on screen. For now, they’re getting a glimpse through movie trailers that have left them both optimistic and angry, and wondering to what extent the new Tonto portrays actual American Indians.

I know Depp has some distant Native American blood in him, but of course, I can’t help but wish there was a full Native American they could have cast in the role of Tonto. And I did see a trailer for the movie the other day and it does make me cringe a bit hearing Depp speak in that broken English, presumably in the way they think a Native American would speak. But I also get how Hollywood works and without Depp the movie likely would not have been made.

But couldn’t he have played the Lone Ranger instead? Still trying to decide if I want to see this one. Here is a link to the full article which includes a trailer.

Mixed People Monday – Odette Annable

The actress (“Golden Boy,” “House”) has a Cuban mother and a father who is of Italian and French descent, was born inBogotá, Colombia and raised in Nicaragua.

Mixed People Monday – Tia Carrere

A diverse heritage.

The actress, who was born in Hawai’i, is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish heritage.

Mixed Couples – James Earl Jones & Cecilia Hart

“Luke, I am your father.” I couldn’t resist.

James Earl Jones and his wife, Cecilia Hart, who is also an actor, have been married since 1982.

Mixed People Monday – Bruce Lee

None better.

Man I was a huge Bruce Lee fan growing up. So had to throw my old hero in here. The American–born actor was born to a Chinese father and a mother of Chinese and German ancestry.

Mixed Couples – John Legend and Chrissy Teigen

A good looking couple.

Singer John Legend and his fiancee, Chrissy Teigen - who’s of Thai-Norwegian descent and models for Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret, are expected to marry sometime this year.

Brad Paisley & LL Cool J Should Not Be Punished For Trying To Bring People Together

An Obama supporter, no less.

A lot is being made of the new song made by Country star Brad Paisley and Rapper LL Cool J. The song, titled, “Accidental Racist,” is ironically being called racist by many. Paisley has already been on TV defending the song. Here is what was reported int The Hollywood Reporter:

The country star has just released a duet with rapper/actor LL Cool J, a slow crooning tune that laments how difficult it is to be a white man wearing a confederate flag on his shirt in the south. “To the man that waited on me at the Starbucks down on Main, I hope you understand,” the song begins, “When I put on that t-shirt, the only thing I meant to say is I’m a Skynyrd fan/The red flag on my chest somehow is like the elephant in the corner of the south.”

From there, Paisley offers up half-apologies and mea culpas for the Civil War, slavery and the region’s history of institutional racism, intoning that he should not have to bear the consequences of the South’s brutal past.

“Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood,” he raps, “What the world is really like when you’re livin’ in the hood/Just because my pants are saggin’ doesn’t mean I’m up to no good.”

The song has caught flack from around the internet. Gawker called the song ”horrible,” and shames Paisley for his complaints about reconstruction, writing, “”Gosh, Brad, I don’t think you’re the one paying for the ‘mistake’ of buying and selling human beings, really.” Meanwhile, The Hairpin calls it “a lyrical disgrace filled with awkward non-apologies and faux-pensiveness over the history of racism in the south.”

Frankly, the line I am most surprised by is the one from LL that says “If you don’t judge my gold chains, I’ll forgive the iron chains.” As if the two types of chains are remotely equal, instead of one being a choice and the other enslavement.

But with that said, I have to say I can’t be too hard on the guys. It is very clear that their intentions were nothing but good. And they took a chance probably knowing the risk. I applaud that. Did they miss the mark with some of what they said? Absolutely. Missed it by a wide mark. But it is so obvious the guys teamed up to try to bring people together.

I applaud them for that. I don’t like all this punishment they are getting from trying to get people to look beyond our covers.

Here is the song:

Does Justin Timberlake Benefit From Being White In A Black Musical Style?

The latest “Blue Eyed Soul Singer.”

I just read an excellent piece that captures the strange situation of blacks liking artists like Justin Timberlake, who I, like the author of the piece, really like. I think Timberlake is a supremely talented triple threat – singing, acting and dancing. Not many can match him across all three disciplines. He is not the best at any one of them, but few can competently do them all.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is Timberlake benefits from being a White singer who borrows from Black styles which then makes it much more palatable to middle America to enjoy his style and music since a Black singer doing the same music is not always so easily accepted to the main audience of Whites.

Here is how the author of the piece I am referring to said it:

My ambivalence toward Justin is, to a large degree, a matter of aesthetics. But it’s also rooted in a very real anxiety about white artists “borrowing” black music and style then taking a break when it becomes inconvenient. Yes, Timberlake has rightfully earned his place among modern pop music legends, but he also embodies the historical mistrust that exists between white performers and black listeners that dates at least as far back as Elvis Presley’s 1950s foray into what was then called “race music.“

Timberlake is by no means in my opinion a racist nor is he purposely taking advantage of Blacks. I think he truly loves the music and it fits him. So let him do his thing. I am not trying to take that away from him or any other White singer for loving the music. Why shouldn’t they?

So I am not blaming him or a slew of others like Macklemore, Presley, Robin Thicke, Justin Beiber, you name the “blue-eyed soul singer” that we have seen. But it should not be surprising either when these singers take the Number 1 slots for their music. Again, I don’t see it as racism, just numbers. There are more white consumers. So when a White singer belts out Soul or Rap, it makes it more acceptable to many to buy it. History proves it. The Beastie Boys, talented as they were, were by no means the best rappers out there. But Number 1 they were. Eminem is also talented. But not surprisingly he outsells most Black artists, in a very Black-rooted art form. Macklemore, a White rapper, comes along with a very catchy tune, “Thrift Shop,” and rockets to the top of rap and other music. Again not surprising. Kind of like Vanilla Ice wasn’t surprising many years ago. Timberlake is just benefitting, whether he knows it or not, from being White in a style rooted in Black culture.

I watched Timberlake perform on SNL a few weeks ago and loved his performance of “Suit and Tie,” a song I love. But it was interesting to note that everyone backing him musically in his very large band, save I think for two band members, was Black. I think for someone like Timberlake, and I have seen this before, having a nearly all-Black band and back up singers, provides credibility and a coolness factor. Sort of a, “look, I’m down with these people.”

But as I said, I like Timberlake. But I do so at least knowing fully well, that part of his success is not just about his talent.

Here is the full article that sparked this post. Well worth reading. And below is Timberlake’s performance on SNL.

Mixed People Monday – Michaela Conlin

Success right out of NYU.

The actress, most known recently as a regular on the TV show “Bones,” has a Chinese mother and a Irish father.

Kim Kardashian & Kanye West Will Make Interesting Parents

The happy couple present their own unique challenges.

Kim Kardashian recently spoke about her pregnancy and thoughts on raising her baby with Kanye West:

Kim Kardashian recently opened up on another topic that has honestly been on our minds, the challenge of raising an interracial child. During an interview with BET, the reality star discussed preparing for motherhood, including what she plans to teach her bi-racial baby about race.

“Obviously you want your children, for me, to travel the world and experience different races and different cultures everywhere so I think that would be something that is important to me to give as much information as I could.

The mother-to-be said she’s also gotten some tips from some of her pals.

“I have a lot of friends that are all different nationalities and their children are bi-racial, so they have kind of talked to me a little bit about it and what to expect and what not to expect,” she said. “But I think that the most important thing is, how I would want to raise my children, is to just not see color.”

I am sure her heart is in the right place, because one thing about Kim we know is that she has no problems with seeing beyond skin color. But she has the idea wrong though. Our goal should never be to ignore color or ethnic differences. Indeed, we should revel in them. Enjoy them. Different colors and looks and cultures make the world so much more interesting. We don’t want a colorblind society. We want one that appreciates “colors” and embraces them, and does not discriminate against them. I think in a way that is what she meant though. But I just wanted to note the difference. Nothing wrong with seeing color. How we react to it is the issue.

One other point on the excerpt above, which I read on The Huffington Post. The writer used the phrase “…the challenges of raising an interracial child…” Well of course I don’t agree that people are “interracial” since we are all one race, only culturally or ethnically different. But I also take issue with the idea that raising a mixed child is more difficult somehow. I have two and have no particular difficulties compared to friends who have kids who do not benefit from being mixed. All children are a challenge. Girls present challenges. Boys present challenges. Being a minority religion presents challenges. Disabilities present challenges. Let’s not make it out that being mixed is somehow a particularly tough situation. It, like the others mentioned, means different things. But all children are unique in that way.