Sponsors drop BET's `Hot Ghetto Mess'
At least two companies have pulled ads from the debut of BET's "Hot Ghetto Mess," a series that critics say puts black stereotypes on display but the channel calls "a blend of tough love and social commentary."
State Farm Insurance Cos. and Home Depot asked BET to drop their ads from the series debuting July 25, trade paper The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday.
Viacom Corp.-owned BET confirmed that sponsors asked to be removed from the show but declined to specify the companies involved.
Other advertisers remain in place and there are no plans to change the series at this point, the channel said Tuesday.
"Hot Ghetto Mess," also called "HGM," combines viewer-submitted home videos and BET-produced man-on-the-street interviews that the channel said in a release are intended to challenge and inspire "viewers to improve themselves and their communities."
"Is my goal to discuss these issues in a format and context that makes people who don't watch the channel comfortable or do it in a way that engages the 18- to 34-year-old viewer and makes them really think about these things?" Reginald Hudlin, BET entertainment president, told the Hollywood Reporter.
The six-episode series is hosted by comedian Charlie Murphy ("Chappelle's Show"). It's based on a Web site that features photos of men and women, mostly black, with extreme hairstyles and clothing typically linked to hip-hop fashion.
Hotghettomess.com was created by Jam Donaldson, 34, a black lawyer who's also an executive producer on the BET show, the Hollywood Reporter said. On the site, Donaldson calls for a "new era of self-examination."
On TV, "Hot Ghetto Mess" includes people of all ethnicities, a network spokeswoman said.
But the show and the web site have drawn accusations of being demeaning to blacks from critics including What About Our Daughters, a blog and audio podcast that focuses on how black women are depicted in popular culture.
The blog called for advertisers featured on a BET Web page promoting "Hot Ghetto Mess" to withdraw support of BET and its properties, and said it would complain to companies that sponsor the series.
"This is just a latest in a prolonged and consistent pattern of BET profiting off of promoting images that malign and degrade African Americans," a posting on What About Our Daughters said of "Hot Ghetto Mess."
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On the Net:
www.bet.com
www.hotghettomess.com
whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com
At least two companies have pulled ads from the debut of BET's "Hot Ghetto Mess," a series that critics say puts black stereotypes on display but the channel calls "a blend of tough love and social commentary."
State Farm Insurance Cos. and Home Depot asked BET to drop their ads from the series debuting July 25, trade paper The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday.
Viacom Corp.-owned BET confirmed that sponsors asked to be removed from the show but declined to specify the companies involved.
Other advertisers remain in place and there are no plans to change the series at this point, the channel said Tuesday.
"Hot Ghetto Mess," also called "HGM," combines viewer-submitted home videos and BET-produced man-on-the-street interviews that the channel said in a release are intended to challenge and inspire "viewers to improve themselves and their communities."
"Is my goal to discuss these issues in a format and context that makes people who don't watch the channel comfortable or do it in a way that engages the 18- to 34-year-old viewer and makes them really think about these things?" Reginald Hudlin, BET entertainment president, told the Hollywood Reporter.
The six-episode series is hosted by comedian Charlie Murphy ("Chappelle's Show"). It's based on a Web site that features photos of men and women, mostly black, with extreme hairstyles and clothing typically linked to hip-hop fashion.
Hotghettomess.com was created by Jam Donaldson, 34, a black lawyer who's also an executive producer on the BET show, the Hollywood Reporter said. On the site, Donaldson calls for a "new era of self-examination."
On TV, "Hot Ghetto Mess" includes people of all ethnicities, a network spokeswoman said.
But the show and the web site have drawn accusations of being demeaning to blacks from critics including What About Our Daughters, a blog and audio podcast that focuses on how black women are depicted in popular culture.
The blog called for advertisers featured on a BET Web page promoting "Hot Ghetto Mess" to withdraw support of BET and its properties, and said it would complain to companies that sponsor the series.
"This is just a latest in a prolonged and consistent pattern of BET profiting off of promoting images that malign and degrade African Americans," a posting on What About Our Daughters said of "Hot Ghetto Mess."
___
On the Net:
www.bet.com
www.hotghettomess.com
whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com
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Re: And now a word from our...
Wed, July 11, 2007 - 3:07 PMI know since Reginald Hudlin has taken over programming there they are trying to come up with things but this seems really out of bounds. I did sort of enjoy "Baldwin Hills" a sort of black answer to "The Hills"...it's interesting how it is filmed being from So Cal I recognize alot of the locations but you can see how things are set up. But I guess that's the case with these types of shows. I have to admit a guilty pleasure to enjoying "Hell Date" even though it bothers me that they have the little person in a devil costume... -
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I've Had Enough
Wed, July 11, 2007 - 4:42 PMThe whole inundation of reality shows is completely ridiculous. Whatever happened to a good, old-fashioned drama or comedy, you know, the ones with real actors?
I don't want to watch reality shows. My life is enough reality for me right now, and besides, most reality shows aren't really reality anyway, as it's all made-up and prompted. It's quite a sad state of affairs what entertainment has become. Everything just seems so badly done and presented. That's why I've restricted my entertainment to literature, PBS, idependendent film and a little local theatre every now and then. I have not watched BET in about 4 years, and I do intend to continue that trend. I've had it with regular television. It's mostly junk. My time is just way too precious. : ) -
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Re: I've Had Enough
Wed, July 11, 2007 - 8:33 PMI too like PBS and some of the things that you mentioned but a while ago I realized that television, movies, and other things are sometimes just to be about entertainment. It doesn't have to make a point all the time. Sometimes it's just meant to be an escape and there is nothing wrong with that. Maybe it comes from writing poetry and specifically erotic poetry. There have been times recently when I have been censored and it really bothered me because people didn't take time to see beyond the sexuality of my writing and notice the sensuality and even spirituality that is involved. They only saw what they considered graphic and for me when I put something out there sometimes it's just meant to be fun and entertaining so it allowed me the chance to view other things that way. There are some things I don't watch I mean Maury became a steady stream of "you are the father" and "is it a man or a woman" after a while, no judge judy for me, and I don't care for most reality shows....but darn it if I am not missing Project Runway right now, and the show I mentioned before "hell date" it's just good to laugh at the scenarios of the way people react...what's wrong with occasionally just enjoying something for the enjoyment of it? I love things that make a point. I try to do that in my writing as well but like I said there are occasions when it's just as much a point to enjoy something just because you can... -
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I'm Still Alive
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 11:34 AMI think you misunderstood me; in that, if I were anti-entertainment, I would not have mentioned that I visit the theatre.
On the contrary, I'm quite for entertainment. The problem I have is that a lot of the entertainment that is on television now is really not very good entertainment. Most Americans are paying so much for cable television, and though the number of channels -- and therefore programming -- have increased, I can't say that the quality of that programming has. A lot of it is very bad entertainment.
Sure, it's all about one's personal opinion and taste, but apparently others agree, as the number of people watching television has been falling steadily, but I think a lot of that has to do with competition from the internet, and not so much people turning from that sort of programming all-together.
Anyways, I do agree with you that sometimes we all want to escape from it all, but literature does that for me, and trust me, there is bad literature out there, too.
At any rate, I just don't see why I should be paying $70/month to watch just a handfull of shows that I truly enjoy. This is why I have cancelled my cable subscription, and you know what? I just checked my pulse, and I'm still living, and quite enjoyably so. -
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Re: I'm Still Alive
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 11:40 AM<< At any rate, I just don't see why I should be paying $70/month to watch just a handfull of shows that I truly enjoy >>
truer words couldn't have been spoken, Roger
I just don't *get* why the cable companies don't realize that they will NOT lose money by offering a la carte programming packages... -
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Re: I'm Still Alive
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 2:28 PMNo I didn't think you were anti-entertainment and I agree that people pay alot of money for little or nothing when it comes to entertainment I think I was speaking specifically about BET because I know they are doing some original programming. I don't watch the steady stream of music videos which seem to be the same type (women in skimpy clothes, guys as thugs) over and over again but I do enjoy "Meet The Faith" which is a round table discussion about faith (and importantly not just Christianity), and like I said the new show "Hell Date" just makes me laugh. I of course am a strong believer in Literature but I guess I think there is a balance to all of it just as there is like you pointed out good and bad literature there are good and bad things on BET and other cable channels. I mean I am a big sports fan and get hooked into ESPN on occasion but then I find myself feeling like I am losing brain cells because I am bored and watching some obscure sports competition at 1 in the morning. I have to admit I am also finding joy in simple things I took for granted. I was speaking with a friend whose sister recently died and my brother died earlier this year after I had moved to No Cal and we were discussing how they were these wonderfully regular extraordinary people who did some great things but also made some not so good choices and isn't that what life is. No matter how much we try to be the best we can be in all we do we all have made or done things that weren't for our highest good and realizing that has allowed me to enjoy some things that I hadn't considered before whether that's a reality show or an independent film. And for the record I would never watch something called, "Hot Ghetto Mess" it sounds like a recipe for disaster already...
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