Scribbler's Highlight of the Week (Part I): DeAndre Jordan's Entry for NBA Dunk of the Year

For once, I planned to post a highlight this week that was completely unrelated to sports, unless they have an official league called the "NTA" as in the "National Twerking Association".  (I'm sure a lot of brothers would pay top dollar to attend a "game" like that.  Oh wait, they already do...it's called the strip club.)  Mrs. Scribbler and I were up watching some hilarious videos from Dormtainment.com, and I was like, "Yeah, I'm posting something from their site this week!"  However, it's unfair to them when the Los Angeles Clippers, a.k.a. the 2013 version of the 1980s "Showtime" L.A. Lakers, are playing the most exciting basketball that we've seen in a very long time.  I might have to do two highlights this week, but I doubt that the young bulls need any plugging from a largely unknown blogger like me.  (Heck, I might need help from y'all, so can y'all please throw some Twitter followers and Facebook friends my way?!?!)

"Ain't Nobody Coming to See You, Otis!"

So why have I posted a video from perhaps the funniest scene in The Temptations TV miniseries from 1998 and juxtapose it with a picture of New York Jets' cornerback Darrelle Revis--who could be wearing a new uniform four hours from now once free agency and trading begins?  Please indulge me for a moment...David Ruffin (played by Leon) felt like fans were only coming to see The Temptations because he had become the primary lead singer and undeniably possessed the most amount of swagger out of any group member.  However, Otis Williams (played by Charles Malik Whitfield) and Melvin "Blue" Franklin (played by D.B. Woodside) felt like his failure to make rehearsals, his drug abuse, and overall erratic behavior was hurting the group more than his standout vocals were helping.  Thus, they made a business decision to move on without him.  Now does that make Darrelle Revis the football equivalent of David Ruffin?  Not exactly.  On one hand, he greatly believes in his priceless ability like David Ruffin did.  On the other hand, he's way more of a team player, and his fan appeal when compared to other skilled positions is more like Otis Williams.  Hence, the Jets' entertainment of a trade involving their four-time Pro Bowl, three-time All-Pro cornerback and former AFC Defensive Player of the Year only makes sense because we are talking about the Jets.  Because of their recent resorting to gimmicks and desperate ploys for attention in the New York City spotlight, they're telling him in so many words (and maybe unfairly), "Ain't nobody coming to see you, Otis!"

Singing Out of Tune: The Blunder Years

On the latest edition of the His & Hers podcast hosted by ESPN's Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, they discussed Golden State Warriors' shooting guard & small forward Klay Thompson, who was fined $35,000 for being one of the escalators in the February 26th "brawl" between the Warriors and the Indiana Pacers.  Consequently, his father Mychal Thompson--the No. 1 overall draft pick for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1978 and two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 1988--docked him pay out of his "allowance" for his involvement...mind you, that "allowance" comes from Klay's money that he makes as an NBA player.  The Thompson parents literally hand their young adult son an envelope full of spending money once a week.  Wild, right? Jemele Hill seemed to think so and had this to say:

Scribbler's Throwback of the Week: Isaac Hayes, "A Few More Kisses to Go"

So Mrs. Scribbler and I were having husband and wife time recently--no, I will not share the details, although I'm sure you don't wanna know--and this song was playing in the midst of a really good set on WHUR's "The Original Quiet Storm".  (For the record, there really is nothing better to listen to for good R&B on a Sunday night, which has been their "touch the sweet spot" night as far back as I can remember.)  Many of you 90s hip-hop/R&B heads may recognize this classic (from his 1979 Don't Let Go album) from "Tonight's Da Night" by Redman and "Tonight's the Night" by Blackstreet, and just from the lush and appealing first 20-30 seconds, you can see why this sample bolstered the likeability of those tracks.  It's funny because a co-worker and I were just having a discussion about Isaac Hayes' vocals, and while he said that he never really cared much for Hayes' voice, I always felt like his melancholic but smooth tone worked for his songs.  Along with "Walk On By", this song is a prime example of that.  I mean, could you really envision somebody like Eddie Holman singing over music like this?  (Eddie Holman = the "Hey There Lonely Girl" guy for those who never know singers by their name or can barely tell other people the name of a song.)  Anyway, if you need a song to either set the opening tone or simply add to your "quality time" playlist, please listen to this one and consider the possibilities...Mrs. Scribbler had a nice night, and [in my Forrest Gump voice] that's all I have to say about that.

Rap Attack 101: What to Have Before You Leave the Studio

 

BREAKING NEWS: I'm a Jay-Z fan.  This is only my opinion and not law, but he's the greatest MC of all time because "MC" stands for "master of ceremonies" and nobody masters a ceremony as a hip-hop/rap artist like Mr. Carter.  (I will say that Doug E. Fresh is arguably more or at least equally entertaining as a one-man show.)  Now for the real point of this post...it takes a lot to go from Picture #1 to Picture #2 as a rapper, MC, artist or however you choose to bill yourself.  Seems like an obvious statement simply because Jay is the subject in these pictures.  However, judging from many of the performances that I see at open mics, artist showcases, and even "professional" concerts, it's not as consensus of a practice as one should expect it to be.  Let's forget lack of stage presence or a clear sign that an artist doesn't practice enough before they grace the stage.  Let's not even get into whether somebody is dope boy fresh or spewing wack juice all over the game.  The thing that annoys me the most is that many artists think they're so ready for Picture #2 that they leave Picture #1 without the essentials.