Coronavirus cabin fever. Can you believe we haven’t been in these streets for a whole month? Of course, y’all can. Some of y’all have had y’all’s Easter Day Party outfits all over “the Book” and the “Gram.” We saw ‘em? So, you know that means you can’t wear them next year, right? But seriously, How are y’all holding up? I meant to ask y’all to send me a snippet or two from your quarantine chronicles for possible publishing to dshante@stlamerican.com. I am very interested in how y’all are passing the time. Please note: two hundred words or less will be plenty. I know one thing, I’m praying for another at-home viral sensation, because the “Don’t Rush” challenge is beyond fashionably late. If you did it before this week, that’s fine, but nobody will be checking for it after your pre-and-post Easter looks. I thought the little Tik Tok challenge where folks reenact old family photos was pretty cute. Perhaps it would be worth my time for it to find its way to Facebook. I must say though, that I wouldn’t recommend folks wasting the ashes of a deceased parent by flinging them up in the air to mimic their presence in an old picture. Allow me to suggest a mannequin with a favorite clothing item as a substitute.
Tony Scott returns to the afternoon drive. While I am still sick about DJ Kut, Sinita, Pooh and Meghan, I must say that I was happy to hear that one of my longtime faves will be on the air at 95.5 FM The Lou on a more regular basis. He had the weekends on lock since last year, now Tony Scott will be taking over afternoons from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturdays.
DJs still going strong on Live. I must say that whatever the new normal is, I’m hoping that a regular dose of my favorite local and national DJs hitting up the tables on social channels is a part of it. I can’t tell y’all how many cleaning sessions or Candy Crush marathons (please don’t get to judging) these jam sessions have carried me through. Deevine Soundz, Vodu, Chan, Biko, Snow, Reminisce… all of y’all. Now I must say that one or two of y’all have been tag teaming – which is outside of the social distancing rules. I won’t get name specific with my little dry snitch, but I will say that it’s not worth risking your health to get folks into the groove. Do a double screen on IG or something if you can’t carry on without a tag team. There I said it. Now, I will end on a high note by telling y’all good work on keeping up the good vibes with your music. We shole (yes, I said shole) need it.
The Babyface vs. Mr. New Jack Swing battle is back on. I felt terrible for asking Babyface why he backed out of the battle with Teddy Riley when I found out he was fighting “The Rona.” But I’m thrilled that he is on his way to a full recovery and is well enough to accept the challenge on Saturday. Babyface is playing host with his IG and it’s going down at 8 p.m. CST. That means we can enjoy the R&B vets faceoff and not be too sleepy when we log in for Sunday morning service. In related news, I missed the RZA vs. DJ Premier battle due to the must see TV that was “The Clark Sisters” on Lifetime, but I have it scheduled at 6 p.m. on Thursday to lighten my mood after I hit up HBO On Demand to catch up on the “Atlanta Child Murders” docuseries. And in other related news, as I am writing this Partyline – I’m counting down until DJ James Biko and DJ Reminisce square off on Facebook Live. Too bad it takes place after my print deadline, so y’all will have to wait until next week for me to offer any opinion on who I believe was the victor. Oh and since I’m talking about COVID-19 recovery, let me give a shout out to J.Ross of J. Ross TV in particular, but all of the people who are battling this horrific virus – and send prayers and condolences for those who have lost friends, family and loved ones.
Lifetime clocked a win, thanks to the Clark Sisters. I already hinted it when I pointed out that I couldn’t pull myself away from it to catch the IG battle I had been waiting all week for, but “The Clark Sisters” on Lifetime was better than I expected. I expected a mess, but still. Seven words sum up my delight: Aunjanue Ellis as Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. I’m not trying to take any coins out of Kinloch’s own Jenifer Lewis’ purse, but when I tell you that I am eager to see her play, please understand that a Karen Clark Sheard vocal run couldn’t do justice to how I have been singing her praises for this performance. It made the movie for me. The way she reacted when Twinkie’s then husband manhandled her on the staircase deserves at least an NAACP Image Award! And y’all tuned in – to the point where it is the top-rated film so far this year on Lifetime. The movie did leave me with a few postscript questions. I can’t say that I was surprised that I didn’t see Denise singing the stage down when they transitioned into the real-life Clark Sisters at the end, but I was low-key shocked that Twinkie wasn’t perched up behind an organ. Perhaps she wasn’t pleased with the portrayal.
Unsure about ‘Insecure.’ I was pleasantly surprised by “The Clark Sisters,” but now I’m on the fence about “Insecure.” Lawrence is still fine, Molly is still messy, Issa’s life is still a mess and Kelly is still loose, but I can’t say that I was overjoyed with the season premiere. I mean, the outfits were cute, but that’s about all I’ve got. I know Issa Rae was booked and busy in real life – between feature films “Little” and “The Photograph” and other projects – which led to a lengthy delay. Am I the only one who secretly felt the show was away just long enough for me to forget what was going on and get completely over it? Maybe not completely over it, but like had me trying to remind myself what made me so into the show. I’m hoping it’s like when I come back to the gym after an extended hiatus – which will probably be the case when “The Rona” turns us loose. Once I get into the rhythm of it, I’m fine. But it felt like the jokes and funny situations that usually have me kee-keeing weren’t there either. Lucky for Issa and ‘nem, I have nothing better to do. So, I will stay tuned in. Hopefully it will get better. We shall see.
