Jamie Foxx Tonight

Chances are you’ve received a forward about Jamie Foxx’s NBC special tonight. I generally disregard forwards–and really have the people that send them if they’re not really funny or informative–but this one was interesting.

So let’s talk about this, shall we?

First, I can’t definitively comment on the veracity of this. I can tell you that someone with a passing knowledge of Jamie–whose opinion I trust–said, “that sounds like Jamie.” Since I don’t know him, that’s all I can go with. I can say that even though I only watch NBC for Law and Order–and only see it when I replay the TiVo and fast forward through the commercials–I haven’t seen a lick of publicity for this. Other than the e-mail, the only way I’d know this is going on is from the passing mention made this morning on the moronic Russ Parr Morning Show (which I only listened to because I didn’t wanna plug up the boPod).
If NBC is really playing it like this, that’s foul. But not in a simplistic way. Just in a stupid way.
First, we all know the real–white folks ain’t too keen on seeing movies or television shows with nothing but black people on them. Can’t keep a damn hour long drama on television because white people–and black folks, also–won’t watch it. Go to a movie with an all-black cast, and the only white folks there will be the employees of the theater. If you’ve got a production with nothing but black folks in it and want white folks to show up, you better be able to rap or hoop. Believe that.
So let’s assume NBC wanted to add a white person to the show to attract more viewers. Really, would one white person really help. Will bring Bono out so they can do a duet of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” really make people tune in? Probably not.
So maybe the network is onto something there and looking out for its investment. So is the network really to blame or should we blame the culture (after all, black folks ain’t flocking to stuff with all white folks, either)? The network is in this to make money. They can’t make money if people don’t watch. So if we really wanna criticize someone, let’s stop taking the easy route and get to the root of the issue.
But as it relates to business, the network might not get it right. While networks command more advertising dollars for programs that appeal somewhat universally, they also do pretty well with niche programming. Few people watch Face the Nation and Meet the Press, but networks make good money off those shows. Why? Because there are companies that know their target audience watches those shows–stock brokers and the likes–and will pay good money to show commercials during those times.
So you don’t necessarily need a 30 share to generate advertising dollars. You need a bit of creativity. Find companies catering to black people and sell them ads then. Sell music and movies or whatever. But you can’t tell me that black folks don’t buy stuff. In fact, go ask the bougie crowd. They’ll be quick to tell what how much those black people buy (as they ride in their BMWs).
But don’t go straight at NBC. That’s just too easy. Deconstruct this entire issue and I think you’ll come to more interesting realities that require attention.
And as much as anything, watch the show. Not just because of some quest for social justice, but because Jamie is one of the more unique entertainers of my lifetime. He’s incredibly talented, has shown great range in his time in the spotlight, and is riding a special hot streak. Oh, and he realized that he was getting his check regardless, so he put whoever he wanted on that show. You may call it selfish, but I call it powerful.
And more than anything–if he can make this work, maybe he won’t still have to accept dreadful scripts because that’s all there is for most black men in Hollywood.
You wanna talk about an injustice? That is where to look.