Family Secrets...

You would have had to be living under a rock this week, if you have not heard the shocking news about Daytime Queen, Oprah Winfrey. On Monday, the talk show host revealed her family secret that she has a half-sister she never knew anything about.

Shocker, right! Well at least it was for me. Sorta. It wasn’t the secret so much that took me by surprise; it was seeing the rare family dynamic of Oprah’s family that made me scratch my head a couple of times.

I have always wondered what exactly life was like for everyone else who was related to Oprah, especially her immediate family. Think about it, if you know anything about Oprah, you know she very rarely discusses her family and in fact, it was on Monday’s show that for the first time I had ever even seen her mother, let alone nieces and nephews.

Seeing the episode and everything play out within the hour, it was everything that wasn’t said that spoke volumes. I couldn’t help but notice or get the impression that Oprah has a very strained or at least, a very distant relationship with her family.

Oprah got pretty choked up when she first sat down to talk with her sister and talked about how in the past people have tried to “sell” her out many times. I have to wonder if those “people” she is referring to are the very same people that have her blood running through their veins.

Could you imagine being Oprah, and having a whole family that knew things about you before you were Oprah? I’m sure it is a very uneasy feeling of having to think that these people may want to use you as a way to make a profit.

Now of course, this is all speculation and I am simply going by the impression that I got from watching. However, I like to think that I am a very good people observer, and was able to observe a lot on that episode.

Take a look at the show, yourself and tell me what you think, or better yet, if you sense what I sense.

[http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Breaking-News-Oprah-Reveals-a-Hidden-Family-Secret]

Set Your DVR

I just wanted to come in and give a quick reminder that this week, is the official start for most TV shows 2011 spring season. The channel, whose shows I have been most anticipating their return, is without a doubt CW. Tonight brings back two of my faves, Gossip Girl and 90210 and on Thursday, my all time fave, The Vampire Diaries. I will get into it later, about my obsession with these shows, but as of now I just wanted to send out a reminder. If you are not watching this channel or at least these shows, tonight is the night to start!!!

The More Things CHANGE, The More They Stay The SAME

It’s that time of year, once again! The snow is falling, people are already breaking New Year’s resolutions, but most importantly our beloved TV and Film stars are walking up to podiums across the world to accept their award for their achievements from the past year.

This past weekend, was the notoriously boring Golden Globes. Boring or not, of course I sat through the three hour long ceremony, fearing that I would look away at that one moment that everyone would be talking about the next day. However, that moment never came, but while watching I did notice a few things that I deemed interesting.

Among the slew of winners, I must admit I loved the fact that some of whom were A-List out gay actors. “Glee’s” Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch took home the gold for their performances on the hit TV Show. Also the delightfully, charming film, “The Kids Are All Right”, took the honors of Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical along with Annette Bening, who won Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy for her role in the film.

To make things clear, it wasn’t the fact that these performers or film are gay or portrayed gay that made me excited for their win, because I believe the well fully deserved the award, but the fact that who they were and what they represent did make it an extra bonus for me.

I love seeing the world evolve, and that’s what I love most about TV and Film, is the fact that they often can help the world do so. Seeing these people get what they rightfully earned and knowing that who they were or what they portrayed didn’t hinder that from happening, showed massive steps in the right direction. In fact I have noticed more and more out Gay and Lesbian performers/performances walk these stages to accept awards for their hard work.  

However, this is where I feel like WE (as a country) can take one step forward and two steps back.

As I smiled to myself while watching some of my favorites accept their awards and try to thank everyone and their mother in 3.5 seconds that is allotted to them, at some point a camera angle shot across the sea of stars in the audience, and something immediately stood out to me. It was if the Golden Globes had just been hit with one of the massive snow storms that swept the East Coast that same week, because it was a complete whiteout in the Theater.

To this day it still saddens me to some degree to tune into these shows and see only a handful of African American actors and even less Latin and Asian Americans. I just don’t get it! I watch the films and tune into the TV shows, and granted I don’t believe there are nearly enough minorities being portrayed in these Films and on TV, but of the ones that are, where is their recognition for their performances?

Only two African Americans were nominated in all of the Acting, Writing, and Directing categories this year. The worst part being, that the Globes are usually the award show that is more likely to have minority actors due to the fact there are more categories to be nominated in.

I don’t quite know what the solution is, or even if this is a problem that has a solution right now, but one thing is clear, this is definitely a problem.

As I have already stated about my excitement about the growing number of Gays and Lesbians being seen at these award shows, it’s not so much about who they are that makes it exciting but instead the reality that who they are is not a hindrance. The same goes for the visibility of ethnic actors.

I more so am ready to see that day, when I know that without any uncertainty that a great performance, no matter who performed it and/or to what audience that performance was geared towards, it still will be a performance that is recognized and even more importantly, respected.