The millihelen is sometimes jokingly defined as the scientific unit of human beauty. This derives from the legend of Helen of Troy as alluded to in Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships...?" The millihelen is therefore the degree of beauty that can launch one ship.
Beheld. Measured. Manipulated. Since the era of Pythagoras and Greek philosophy, this has been the order in which we relate to beauty. We pout in front of bathroom mirrors, we seethe at the enormity of our noses and – now - we even plead with Jennifer Aniston’s cosmetic surgeon to take our case.
There’s no wonder that the onset of beauty-centric reality shows have inspired a brand new fixation on the intricacies of the external. One particular show from Hades is the all new, highly irritating ABC show intended to replace Beauty and The Geek. Drum roll, please…True Beauty.
First, it was the tee-shirt plastered with the huge CK emblem across the chest for Christ the King, then it was MyPraise in lieu of MySpace, now we have another Splenda packet of Christian fun – this time brought to us courtesy of the network known for delivering our daily fixes of “let-it-all-hang-out” video vixens draping the arms of tattoo-clad rap stars. Yes, folks. That’s Black Entertainment Television.
Dance Shows Take Center Stage
Recently, I discovered that I’m a decent public speaker.
I disclose this fact not to glorify my so-called talent, but instead to demonstrate how God sees beyond our nervousness or insignificant hang-ups. He wants to radically use us in order to share the beautiful, timeless message of Jesus Christ.
First, we need to get over ourselves. I’ll speak for myself. I need to suck it up and simply recognize that the discomfort of unfamiliarity is not nearly as burdensome as the pain of disobeying God’s direction for my life.
Dance, once an esoteric artform relegated to the glorious, high-brow venue of the stage, has been sweeping the country in a whirlwind of fave television shows.
NBC’s Superstars of Dance, Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew - while all distinct – have introduced dance styles that wouldn’t otherwise receive mainstream exposure.
From krump and the Argentine tango to Bollywood and clogging, these shows are doing a superb job at painting various facets of global culture through the universal language of dance.
Furthermore, no sooner than America’s Best Dance Crew found its season’s winner in the all-Asian minus one b-boy group of Quest Crew, a new dance-heavy show take its place on MTV.
In sort of a 'Fame' meets 'The Hills' combo, MTV – more appropriately named RTV for its new all reality all the time television programming - is set to unveil Taking the Stage, a reality show -documentary hybrid that follows five
Beyond her dark, slender form and white teeth, Emmanuel Jal does not remember much about the mother that gave life to him in the Bahr el Ghazal region of Southern Sudan.
“I remember she used to sing a lot of mourning songs in the church,” said Jal. “As a child, it was like death, death, everyday.”
Songs lamenting the passing of playmates and hymns that ushered relatives off to sweet rest were Jal’s earliest musical memories.
But, now those songs of mourning have transmogrified into songs of peace and reconciliation as the life of Jal, an ex-child soldier, becomes the subject of the hip hop album and award-winning documentary film, War Child.
Directed by C. Karim Chrobog, War Child chronicles the life of Jal who at age 7 was fighting on the side of the rebel army in Sudan’s bloody civil war, yet now lives to tell the tale of his struggle through his unique style of hope-filled hip hop.
While the mass media-driven stereotype of Black achievement in rapping, dancing or shooting hoops have consumed all of American culture, in this year…2009…there is at least one shining example of an African-American succeeding devoid of his stand-out artistic ability. Some would ask, “What’s the formula for this kind of Black?”
Well, the variety of talent within Black America is not just restricted to the behind the scenes story of Notorious B.IG. or Ray Charles - in February TNT broadcast, on the heels of the instatement of our new president, the amazing story of Ben Carson. He was the man that made medical history when in 1987 he separated a pair of Siamese twins joined at the head.
The movie, based on Ben Carson’s inspirational memoir, chronicles the journey of Carson – played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. – from his frustrated inner-city days in Mo-Town to the halls of Johns Hopkins University Hospital.