The Game: SUDDEN DEATH

Dear Readers,

We need to gather round, hold hands, and say a prayer for The Game. I have been sorely disappointed in the past few episodes, heck, this entire season (excluding the season premiere).

I hate what they've done to Melanie's character. She's even more insecure than she was before and is so caught up in Derwin's baby mama drama, she's just not acting like herself. I literally want to just reach through the TV and shake her to wake up and grow up.

I feel like I need so call the police and file a missing person report for Tasha Mack. IMO, she's always been the heart of this show, yet now she's been sidelined with a dead end storyline. Tasha is at her best when she's offering advice, often unsolicited, and drawing upon her wisdom to school Med School and Kelly. We finally caught a brief glimpse of that during last week's episode, thank goodness.

Malik is a joke. 'Nuff said. And Mara Brock Akil must owe Robin Givens money to allow to her run up and through this show. She's an unnecessary and unwanted distraction.

Jason and Kelly...big sigh. A part of me is glad they're getting a divorce, but another, sentimental, part of me is sad to see them break up. I've liked them as a couple from the very beginning. Their marriage seemed real - it wasn't always picture perfect and there were plenty of universal issues they faced, namely money and in-laws. I feel like the way the producers are handling this divorce is almost making a mockery of their marriage. Perhaps that's the point, but I'm not happy with it.

Here are a few of my suggestions on how to make things better...
Melanie needs to focus her energies on herself, her studies, and her career. Let Derwin and Janay deal with their baby situation, while she plays it cool in the background. Otherwise, she's just going to continue to set herself up for heartbreak.

Robin Givens has to go ASAP - I never want to see her on The Game ever again!

More, more, more Tasha Mack, please (and without Rick Fox standing in the way, taking up all the space in the camera frame).

And let's try to get Jason and Kelly back together. I think their marriage can be saved! Just the way I hope this show can be saved...stay tuned.

The Game 10.3.08: Monday Morning Quarterback

Friday night's season premiere of The Game picked up right where we left off, with Melanie knocking on Derwin's door to tell him that she wants them to get back together.

Melanie literally walks into a firestorm, as Derwin is still grappling with Janay's stunning announcement that she's pregnant. But Melanie is determined to not let anything come between her and Derwin, baby or no baby, and stands by his side. That's my girl!

Melanie is convinced that Janay's lying about her pregnancy, which is plausible. Women lie about being pregnant every day, especially to snag a rich professional football player, so the right (and smart) thing to do is get confirmation.

Derwin shows up at Janay's job, where she's already spread the word about her bundle in the oven, demanding she pee on three sticks. Apparently, the results are positive. She's preggo. But my question is, by whom? Let's recall that while she and Derwin were on the outs toward the end of last season, Janay did go to the Super Bowl in Miami. Who the heck knows what went down while she was there?

Meanwhile, Kelly and Jason are still on the outs. Kelly has kicked her husband out of the house and moved her "trailer-park-trash" parents in. My one and only complaint about this episode is that waaay too much time was devoted to Kelly's parents, leaving poor Tasha Mack only a few seconds to make a cameo on her own show!

Speaking of Tasha, Malik is still hiding out, afraid of her reaction to his impulsive elopement with Robin Givens. Since I haven't heard that Ms. Givens will be appearing on any new episodes, I can almost guarantee that their quickie marriage will be quickly annulled.

The night's best lines:

"Hola Awkwardo!" -- Melanie, to Jerome, addressing the "Spanish" elephant in the room after she finds him and Dionne apparently getting cozy! (Honestly, I wouldn't mind those two hooking up because it would mean more screen time for Mechad Brooks for my personal enjoyment.)

"Something in the milk ain't clean." -- Tasha, to TeeTee, regarding Malik's whereabouts.

"First I am going to make dinner, and by make I mean buy, and by buy, I need your money." -- Melanie, to Derwin, before he hands over his wallet. Loves it!

TONIGHT: THE GAME (8:30, CW)

The Fall 2008 season officially kicks off tonight (well, at least for me it does) with the season premiere of The Game (8:30, CW).

Burning questions to be answered from last season's explosive finale:

1. Is Janay really pregnant by Derwin?

2. Will Girl Melanie stand by her man when she finds out or run back into Jerome's thick, deliciously chocolate arms?

3. How will Tasha Mack react to the news that Mailk eloped with cougar Robin Givens?

4. Are Jason and Kelly going to crash and burn like A-Rod and Cynthia?

Since the show airs on Friday nights, I'll probably post my recap and comments Monday morning.

Don't forget to tune in tonight, 8:30, CW!

Black Animation

Nia Long and Sanaa Lathan are lending their voices to Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show, which Entertainment Weekly points out has the distinction of being the only new Fall program with an African-American lead. Oh..and it's a cartoon. And the main character, Cleveland Brown himself, is voiced by a White guy. Lathan, will play Cleveland’s wife, Donna, while Long, will voice the character of rebellious stepdaughter Roberta.

Sister, Sister on DVD

Whooo-hooo! The first season of Sister, Sister starring Tia and Tamera Mowry, will be released on October 28. Race you to Amazon.com to pre-order...!

Live blogging tonight's 2008 BET Awards

Let the tomfoolery commence!

8:03: Two thumbs up to Usher for the intricate choreography, but I guess he forgot to sing. And what happened to the rumored performance of Love in the Club Pt. II featuring Beyonce and Lil' Wayne? Dare I hope to dream that this will be the first ever Beyonce-free BET Awards!?!

8:22: Why does Young Jeezy need his own set? Couldn't he have come out with Usher, spit his 16 bars, sparing us this nonsense?

8:24: Jezzy's performance is redeemed -- here comes Kanye West. Hi Kanye! (waving hard!)

8:36: Keyshia Cole is dancing and singing live! What a novel idea. She looks fab! Oh wait...is that Lil' Kim, looking normal. So far, this is the best performance of the night.

8:50: I am officially up from the bed and standing on my feet. It's a 90's girl group reunion special - SWV, EnVogue, and TLC! Big ups to Alicia Keys for never forgetting where she came from and always giving props to those who came before her and paved the way. Even though I'm not a big fan of her recent stuff, I do admire that about her. But one quick note about SWV...they all look so different!?! For a while there I couldn't tell who was who!

9:18: I get it T. Pain - you've guested on practically every song played on the the radio the past 6 months, but why are you lip-syncing dude!?! That's one of the things I hate about BET - they breed mediocrity. If they demanded more from their award show performers, it would be a better look overall. Everyone seems to be phoning it in tonight. At least my eyes are saved from permanent damage of seeing Rick Ross' bare belly with the hotness of Ludacris! Go Luda! He was the only one to actually perform live.

9:22: Go 'head Chris Brown and Ciara. Now that's what I call dancing. Ciara looks so much more feminine now. I love it!

9:42: Ne-Yo is on. Time to go wash my face and brush my teeth.

10:10: This Al Green Lifetime Achievement tribute is running hecka long. Maxwell, where ya been homey? When's that album coming out?

10:36: Rhianna needs to take a vacation. I'm getting tired of her non-singing self. But look at her boo, Chris Brown, trying to coach her on from the audience. That's right Chris...support your woman.

I doze off during the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award presentation, trying my best to hold out for the man of the night, Lil' Wayne.

11: 03: I pop an eye open to see Lil' Wayne's sweaty chest. Guess I missed it. Back to sleep.

She's Got A Job!

After slugging through Entertainment Weekly's woeful Race on TV feature in the current issue (with Angelina Jolie on the cover), I'm happy to report that a Black actress has found a job -- and it's on TV! Sophina Brown, who as Raina was only my second reason for watching Shark (the first being Henry Simmons' bare chest) is joining the cast of CBS drama Numbers this Fall (yes, CBS which as EW reports has the distinction of ranking dead last when it comes to diversity). Congrats to Sophina - her hair is to die for!- and let's hope to see more brown faces on a TV screen near you soon.

Sooooouuuuulllllll Train!

Ah...remember the days kids -- Saturday afternoons busting a move in front of the TV trying to mimic the fantastic dancers on the screen. Well, I don't remember them either! But, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the legacy of Soul Train, which paved the way for countless dance shows, including current ones like So You Think You Can Dance on ABC and MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. My memories of Soul Train are of the Shemar Moore kind -- he had a brief stint as a host in the early 2000s.

Now after 38 years, the Soul Train has been...well...sold folks. The NY Times is reporting today that Soul Train founder and living legend Don Cornelius sold (for an undisclosed amount which I'm sure is in the millions) the franchise to MadVision Entertainment, an L.A.-based production company run by three African-American movers-and-shakers in the worlds of entertainment and media -- Kenard Gibbs, the group publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, Anthony Maddox, a former producer at NBC who also ran Sean Combs’s Bad Boy Films, and Peter Griffith, a Vibe magazine veteran.

They plan to breathe new life into the series, by both opening up the archives for the old fogies to relive their golden days, and creating a new version (which, fingers crossed will knock BET's shameful 106&Park off the air!).

Change is good, and I think that will be a great opportunity for the Black American Bandstand to experience a rebirth and continue to inspire a new generation of dancers and musical talent.

Gossip Girl Spinoff?

Well, yes, according to The Hollywood Reporter, producers are eyeing a spinoff series set at a girls boarding school. The story would be based on Gossip spinoff novels called The It Girl, which features the socially-awkward character of Jenny Humphrey entering boarding school and reinventing herself as Blair 2.0. No word yet if the actress playing Jenny, Taylor Momsen, will star in the spinoff series.

THR reports that it's somewhat unlikely that CW will pick up the series since it's current slate is stacked with teen fare, including Gossip and the forthcoming refresh of 90210. Perhaps it'll find a home on another network where teen girls (and teen-girls at heart like myself) congregate, like ABC Family or MTV.

I like Gossip Girl and all, but this may be overkill, especially given the un-popularity of Jenny's character.

Stars Align for Celebrity Family Feud

I was already excited about Celebrity Family Feud because A.) I love the show and B.) It's one classic game show (along with The Newlywed Game) that deserves a revival.

Now, I'm triply excited to learn who the participating families are going to be, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. Here are the showdowns I'm most looking forward to:

• Episode 2
-Mo'Nique and family vs. Vivica A. Fox and family -- I guarantee that this will be off the hook! I'm setting my TiVo now!

• Episode 3
-Ice-T and family vs. Joan Rivers/Melissa Rivers and family
-Raven-Symoné and family vs. Wayne Newton and family

• Episode 4
-The Kardashian/Jenner family (including Kim Kardashian and Bruce Jenner) vs. Deion Sanders and family -- The clash of the 'why-do-they-have-a-reality-show?' families.
-Ed McMahon and family vs. Tiki Barber and family

Celebrity Family Feud premieres on July 1 on NBC.