We Are Not All Artists the Same

Leslie Odom, Jr. graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s prestigious School of Drama and is a Princess Grace Award winner for Acting. Most recent projects include:SMASH (“Sam Strickland,” NBC), House of Lies (“James,” Showtime), Red Tails(“Winky,” Lucas Films), and Leap of Faith on Broadway (“Isaiah,” Drama League and Fred Astaire Award nominations).

I have real love for the artist. I have respect for your dreams. I want you to win. I want you to
persevere. I want you to to take heart when the realities of the business break you down because, brethren, the realities of the business will break you down.

I remember first starting out, feeling ignored and disrespected so often. The first challenge was
just getting noticed. Getting seen was the first hurdle and I have to tell you… it lasts awhile. READ MORE

Dime and Nickle: TV’s TOP 15 FIYAH of the WEEK

For the Week beginning Monday, May 21 through Sunday, May 28, 2012.

T  –  L

1       P Duets / FOX / Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, Robin Thicke, Quddus

2       1  Touch / FOX / Kiefer Sutherland, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Mazouz

3       5  Dancing With The Stars / ABC / Tom Bergeron, Brooke Burke, Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Harold Wheeler, Donald Driver, Katherine Jenkins, William Levy

4       4  Scandal / ABC / Kerry Washington, Henry Ian Cusick, Darby Stanchfield, Tony Goldwyn, Columbus Short, Guillermo Diaz, Katie Lowes, Jeff Perry

5       3  The L.A. Complex / CW / Jewel Staite, Cassie Steele, Chelan Simmons, Andra Fuller, Benjamin Charles Watson, Joe Dinicol, Jonathan Patrick Moore

6       7  Around the World in 80 Plates / BRAVO / Curtis Stone, Cat Cora

7       9  Welcome To Sweetie Pies / OWN / Miss Robbie Montgomery, Mr. Tim Norman, Lil’ Charles, Lady Jenae

8       6  House / FOX / Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer, Peter Jacobson, Odette Yustman, Charlyne Yi

9       2  Common Law / USA / Michael Ealy, Warren Kole, Sonya Walger, Jack McGee

10    10  Food Network Star / FOOD / Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Giada de Laurentiis, Bob Tuschman, Susie Fogelson

11    NC So You Think You Can Dance / FOX / Cat Deeley, Mary Murphy, Nigel Lythgoe

12    11  Dream Machines / SyFy / Shanon Parker, Marc Parker

13    NC The Game / BET / Tia Mowry, Pooch Hall, Hosea Chanchez, Wendy Rachel Robinson, Coby Bell

14    NC Let’s Stay Together / BET / Erica Hubbard, RonReaco Lee, Bert Belasco, Joyful Drake, Kyla Pratt, Nadine Ellis

15     14 Hollywood For Sale / HGTV / Renee Bargh

T (This Week),  L (Last Week), P (Premiere), NC (Not Charted Previous Week), GREEN = move UP, RED = move DOWN

To Get THE WHOLE STORY click the links within EACH post.

Lopresti: Terrell Owens hits rock bottom with recent cut

There are gloomy downfalls, and there are depressing ends, and then there is this: an absolute belly-flop into irrelevance. How could an athlete once so compelling end up a burden that no one wants around — not even the Allen Wranglers?

The team from Texas cut him Tuesday night, deciding not even the Indoor Football League had a place for him, according to ESPNDallas.com. READ MORE

J.R. Smith is dating Rihanna and life is unfair

If these two are indeed having genital parties with each other, there are two ideas at play here. One is that their relationship, or at least proximity, will make a lot of headlines and the couple will become an mixure of whimsy, idiocy, nudity, and negativity that will be a gold mine for Gawker and Page Six writers in the months to come. The other, stupider idea is that this is a bad thing for the Knicks, a veritable Matt Kemp 2010 2.0, presuming the couple stays together through the summer and Smith goes through with his rumored extension with the club. READ MORE

Why Dr. Dre, Ice Cube Succeeded And NWA Did Not

I was asked to give my thoughts on NWA this week for a BET documentary on the impact of Hip-Hop on Black culture.  One thing that came to mind is the way Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were able to climb out of the war zone that was Compton and Death Row Records to become captains of the industry, while many of their homeboys simply perished. In that regard, their success makes for a case study that would be a fit for any business school in the country. READ MORE