TV Shows
I’ve discovered a lot of new TV Shows this year since I’ve been taking a TV Writing class, and the key to writing for TV is watching it. So excited about my discoveries because these shows are amazing!
1-Younger (TV Land)
The creators of Sex and The City have done it again with this show Younger. What I love about this show is that it takes place in Brooklyn (and Manhattan), so everything feels familiar, but it’s mocking millennials and everything we stand for, which I think is kind of humorous and pathetic at the same time. The main character Liza, pretends to be 26-years old (even though she’s in her 40’s), just to land a job at a publishing firm after her divorce. Her efforts to conceal her identity is both suspenseful and funny at the same time.
2-Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
I’ve never laughed so hard after watching a series since Martin and that’s saying a lot. This show created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock chronicles the life of Kimmy Schmidt, a woman that was kidnapped by a man when she was a teenager and was rescued by a swat team after being locked up in a bunker for years. Now, as a 30-something year old, she’s forced to reintegrate into life in New York City. It may seem weird, but it’s laugh-out-loud funny.
3-You’re The Worst (FXX)
I am so happy I discovered this show, You’re The Worst. Another show that makes me laugh so hard I gasp for air. Jimmy and Gretchen are two cynical and borderline terrible people who meet at a wedding and fall for each other. They decide to have a non-conventional, non-mushy relationship but what they find out is when it comes to matters of the heart, they can’t stay evil forever. This show is HILARIOUS.
Books
I actually have been reading a lot this year. Here are a few of the books I’ve read this fall. I am sure you will also enjoy the little treat I have for you under my review of The Alchemist.
4-The Alchemist
The Alchemist is a book about purpose and destiny which is why I encourage everyone reading this blog to read this book. It chronicles the life of a shepherd boy named Santiago who wants to travel the world. He dreams of treasure and goes on a long journey to find it. It starts off pretty slow, but pay close attention to all the details, it all makes sense at the very end of the book.
Here’s the link to the PDF for the book so you have no choice but to read it now.
5-Unlabel- Selling You Without Selling Out by Marc Ecko
What I loved about this book is that Marc Ecko keeps it 100% real about his journey to success and even about his many failures. It’s rare that you find such transparency which is why I recommend it to people who have their own business, want to start their own business, or just crave success in their lives.
6-Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
I am not exactly finished with this book, but it’s already encouraged me like no other. When you think of Shonda Rhimes, you think of this big monumental woman, who single-handedly took over Thursday nights on ABC, but what you learn from her book is that she’s just like you and me. She has fears, she doubts herself, and she has social anxiety. Yet she uses her memoir to overcome those setbacks and reigns victorious.
Movies
I didn’t go to the movies at all this year. If I did I can’t remember what I saw. However, I did watch some great stuff recently and I want to share.
7-Beyond The Lights
This movie was done by Gina Prince By The Wood, who created the genius we all know as Love and Basketball, so I expected great things from this movie. Although Beyond The Lights is not as great as Love and Basketball, I like how Gina illustrated the trials of superstardom, and how at the end of the day we all just want to be accepted and loved for who we are at our core. I would definitely watch this movie again.
8-A Raisin in the Sun (2008)
I watched this movie one night and it was really good. I had no idea Sanaa Lathan, P.Diddy, and Phylicia Rashad were all in one movie together. I kind of forgot about this. We all know the plot to A Raisin in the Sun, so I won’t go into too much details, but give it a shot, I was impressed.
9-War Room
My church had a special screening for this movie War Room and I loved it. This movie taught me the power of prayer, and not to take that power lightly. It also taught me that we have to find practical ways to spend time with God and pray for the ones we love. Let God fight the war for us, but we have to bring our troubles to him first.
YouTube
We all watch YouTube, don’t we? Fortunately enough for me, this year I’ve discovered my new favorite shows on there.
I watched every video that Ayesha Curry produced on her YouTube channel this year. I became obsessed with her cooking show and began doing a little cooking of my own 🙂
11-Issa Raye
We all know Issa Raye from Awkward Black Girl so her YouTube channel is bound to be great. What I didn’t know was that she has a little production company going on filled with different shows including a travel reality show following the members of Nomadness Tribe and one of my favorite web series on the air right now First.
We all need a little church in our lives. I watch One Church LA YouTube channel because I believe Pastor Toure is relatable. Give the online church a try if you can’t commit to going to church every Sunday.
People
13-Mara Brock Akil & Spike Lee
So my love for Mara Brock Akil runs deep, and I think she killed this season of Being Mary Jane. It was so raw and real and I loved every second of it, Thank You Mara! Simultaneously, I’ve been watching the classic movies of another storyteller, Spike Lee, and the older I get the more I realize how much of a genius he is. I re-watched Do the Right Thing and School Daze recently, and it’s time for us to WAKE UP! The things Spike was addressing in the late 80s are still things we are dealing with today. Radio Raheem death was a foreshadow of the death of Eric Garner. Spike and Mara’s abilities to take real life and adapt it for TV and movies is incredible.
14-Morgan DeBaun
Morgan is the creator of Blavity, which is a site that caters to content for creative black millennials. I first fell in love with the site, after their feature on the men of the New Stereotype, showcasing the “Classic Man” and all of his nuances.
15-Dana Chanel
I just started following Dana after reading a feature about her on XO Necole. We all need a Sprinkle of Jesus, and her website gives just the right amount.
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