Raise your hands if you’re a nightly talk show watcher! I am – if it isn’t The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, then it’s Conan or Letterman (and I’ve tried my sincere best with Jimmy Fallon, but… I just can’t. Even though I’m a big fan of The Roots).
But in terms of having my late night comedy jones sated by a person of color, I might have to look back as far as Arsenio to recall a show I actually watched and enjoyed. (Where’s Arsenio at, anyways?) Now my DVR’s about to be busy at night, thanks to Mo’Nique. The ever outspoken Queen of Comedy is stepping up to the late night plate with a fresh new talk show on BET.
Yeah, I’m a little skeptical. But here’s why I’m gonna give Mo’Nique a shot — I’ve witnessed her power in person.
At the F.A.T Chance auditions in Miami in 2006, I met her myself. Mo’Nique has a riveting presence, a compelling aura, and the power to inspire. For real. She made that room resonate, and touched the hearts of the women waiting to compete on her reality show. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, or since. And since then I’ve been watching her star steadily rise.
Mo’Nique has become so much more than a raunchy comedienne. She’s proving her dramatic skills in her film roles (I heard Oscar talk about her role in Precious!) and establishing herself as a media personality with a message beyond whatever their latest project is about.
So I’m gonna watch, and I’m even a little excited about it. Although we have yet to see a consistently successful woman host a late night show, and it’s been decades since Arsenio…my hopes are a little high for this one. Mo’Nique is a go getter. Either way, this is going to be interesting.
Mo’Nique debuts Monday October 5 at 11 p.m.. Will you watch? What are your thoughts, bellas?
I was with you until you mentioned BET. Sorry. No can do. Not even for Mo’Nique. I already got my feelings hurt once hoping that Mo’Nique’s Charm School would have some kind of positive impact on the chicanery that was Flavor of Love. But I learned I was expecting entirely too much and putting way too much responsibility on her when VH1’s intentions were never to really help those women remake their images. But I wish her the best. She is really blossoming and I hope that she continues to get good roles that showcase her talents, and that she continues to try to uplift other women in her own way.
I think I am going to have to agree I am looking forward to Moniques show I like her in the roles that she play and I loved her show she’s jus a keep it real kind of person and I like that about her she’s a whole lot better than Wendy Williams I can most def. Say that
Even thought it’s BET, I will watch it. Because if all we watch is Tiny and Toya, etc, THAT’S ALL BET WILL OFFER. So please make an effort to watch. I LOVED her radio show.
I liked Mo’s radio show so I’m sure her TV show will be cool. About Arsenio, I saw an ad for Funniest Home Videos and he was the host.
I’m not a big fan of Mo’Nique overall. I thought her radio show was really bad! Her personal style bothers me a bit as well. And my aversion to all things BET is duly documented. I think I’m gonna pass on this one!
I hate BET, but I’ll see. I’ll watch it a couple times and make a decision.
I’ll definitely check it out. I’m willing to give most talk shows a 1 week try out. (except that silliness that Jay Leno is doing at 10pm).
I also plan to check out Precious. I read the book back in the late 80’s and I hear good buzz about all the actors involved.
As much as BET generally vexes my soul, I like Monique and will give her a chance. She is definitely funny and worth a look.
I will give Mo’Nique a try, I tried Wendy Williams and she is to me what Fallon is to you… can’t do it. I am a Letterman girl myself, at least to the end of the Top 10. I am looking forward to see her as the mom in Precious too,I read PUSH and the mama Mo’Nique plays was lethal.
I have seriously fond memories of watching Aresnio late at night especially when I was at Howard. Gosh it has been that long? I wonder where he is too?
I love Mo’Nique, so I will watch. I agree with Ebony about Wendy Williams. I just can’t watch her show. I’ve tried.
I don’t have cable so I can’t watch. I do agree that Mo’Nique has blossomed. I used to dislike her, but she has grown on me. Also, George Lopez is beginning a new talk show on TBS, so she won’t be the only person of color hosting a late night talk show.
Sheeessshhh! It had to be BET didn’t it? It couldn’t even be slightly less reprehensible TV One? But I love Mo’Nique. She’s hilarious and extremely accessible. I’ll check her out, but I don’t want to contribute to those ratings. Mo’, if you’re reading…step on over to another network (preferably one not owned by Viacom).
I’m glad someone else is with me on Jimmy Fallon. He just isn’t funny in his show. But I do like Mo’Nique, like a lot. So I’ll give her a shot, but don’t necessarily have high hopes.
Pittsburgh’s G-20 story: Take an expressway from town and disappear into desolate ‘hoods and encounter the civilization of menace. Pittsburgh, a dual city! The glass wonder of PPG Place and/or the G-20 Summit is a faded memory. Here in the ‘hood lives lie abandoned as far as the eye can see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEukcWW5dM0
That is: For the most part, African-American Pittsburgh seems to be invisible, not only to the public relations hucksters who tout Pittsburgh’s successes, but we are equally invisible to the protesters.
Certainly, black Pittsburgh is as proud as anybody in that the black President we worked so hard to elect has selected Pittsburgh as the host of the G-20 Summit. We even enjoy the re-invention of Pittsburgh from a dirty, smoky steel-churning history to the bright, clean, green financial success that the business leaders and politicians boast about so loudly. Nobody is more proud of the Super Bowl winning African-American coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin. But none of that feel-good stuff erases the pain of the stubbornly high unemployment among African American young adults and the staggering dropout rate for young black males from the public school system.
I used to listen to her radio show when it was on-air to support her and I had to start looking for alternatives because it was excessively raunchy and she brought up the same topics repeatedly. If this is going to be the same format no can’t do.
dvr will be set to record.. I can’t stay up that late.. LOL
despite being on BET I am going to give it the good ole college try cause I enjoy Mo’Nique
I will definitely be giving The Monique Show a trial run, even though BET no longer does it for me. But who IS that guy in the commercial? He looks so familiar. Anyone know his name?
Ugh no way will I watch this. Monique could never be ten percent of what arsenio was. I remember when they had her radio show on the local station here it was so terrible everyone I know stopped tuning in to that station although we have all come back now…since they had the good sense to take it off the local airways. I’ll watch George Lopez before this. Oh and the fact that it’s on BET just proves my point. I would love to give a black talk show a chance but just being black is not enough I need some substance.
I really liked Mo’Nique’s radio show. It kept me laughing so I will definitely try to see her show. I am not much of a late night TV show person, but it has to be better than The Wendy Williams show right?
As much as BET generally vexes my soul, I like Monique and will give her a chance. She is definitely funny and worth a look.
I will watch Monique’s show and I am a fan of Wendy Williams show also. I am supporting the sistas.
I love the show!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope to meet you one day
I like Monique… I truly do… My first impression when I watched the first show was wow!!! Why is she so loud… It discouraged me from watching the show. I wish her much success because we do need to have more african american role models and talk show host. But I just can’t watch it because the guest can barely get a word out.
I love the Mo’Nique Show. It’s refreshing!
Buffoonery, Exploitation, and Taboo
By James Clingman Jr.
That’s what BET means to me. The so-called “Black” entertainment network, owned by Viacom, is immersed in at least 20 hours per day of videos, hype, jokes, Black-folks-in prison movies, expletives, “Beefs,” gangsters, and even snake-oil selling preachers offering blessings in a bottle for just $106.00 a whop. And we wonder why so many of our youth act the way they do. Admittedly, BET is not the entire problem; but it sure isn’t any of the solution either. Impressionable youth are being negatively programmed everyday by this money-machine called BET, and all most of us do is complain about it.
It’s true that parents should keep their children away from TV trash and teach them better; but we also have an obligation to confront the perpetrators. How do we do that? Glad you asked. Stop buying the stuff their selling, and let those who are selling it know your feelings about the negative programming. Also, write to them and let them know your dissatisfaction.
Remember when BET at least had several programs that were informative and helpful to Black people? News, interviews with folks we respected and appreciated, Lead Story, Bev Smith, Tavis Smiley, George Curry at Emerge Magazine, Jazz. At least our children could learn something of value from it. Old BET aired some ridiculous stuff too, but it wasn’t as stupid as most of it is now.
Does that mean Viacom sees us as stupid, blind, conspicuous consumers who will go out and buy everything they advertise on BET? If we continue to buy the gold chains and medallions, “grills,” spinners, plasma screens, cars, gym shoes, guns, athletic jerseys, champagne, liquor, and all the other things we see during the daily BET video orgy of excess and nothingness, the answer is obvious.
I think Viacom not only believes we’re stupid, they believe we’re stuck on stupid. They pipe in garbage, and we lap it up. They insult us and our children, especially our young women, and we insult ourselves by participating in our own exploitation,. And the monotonous beat goes on and on like the drumbeat of a new Bataan Death March.