| Gabriel Iglesias, ,Katt Williams, Michael Epps "EarthQuake", "D.C. Curry", "Adell Givens", "Cheryl Underwood", Russell Peters, if you've heard of any of these funny people you've been "Ghettozised". All of these folks are involved with comedy tours that have grossed hundreds of thousands of dollars. None of these funny people have been seen on late nite T.V.. They have been seen on shows expressly aimed at minority audiences, Blacks and Latinos. This continues the cultural segregation that makes people wonder, " Why can't we all get along?", "Why can't people just be people?" and "I don't see color.". Well, we're not sharing the same "social language". One of the reasons for this divide between the races is late nite T.V.. The problem is lead by "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, is the leader in the late nite ratings and has unwittingly helped divide the races by rarely using minority comedy acts. The other late night shows have follow Leno's lead. This isn't because of racism, but rather because of benign neglect. It has forced Black and Latino comics to find other venues to express their talents these include: B.E.T.'s Comic View, H.B.O.'s Def Jam, and the Latino "Loco Slam", along with two other Latino shows on Univision. Late night T.V. has long been a bastion of finding new talent, from Ray Romano, Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld( The Letterman Show), Tim Allen, Roseanne, Gary Shandling, Drew Carey(Johnny Carson), and Leno himself(The Letterman Show). Ratings are very important in late night, however, they are also there to find creative new talent. Leno hasn't had one new act break out nationally since his show has been on the air. The fear of using these urban comics on late night, is that they're going to use profane language, show their asses, or set a couch on fire. But, the truth is, the majority of these comics have appeared on network T.V. shows without incident and many have appeared as series regulars : D.C.Curry (The Brett Butler Show), Bernie Mac (Moesha & The Parkers), Cedric "The Entertainer" (The Steve Harvey Show) and the number one commercial of the super bowl) Joe Torrey (House Party 1&2), D.L.Hughley, Eddie Griffin, Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence, Chris Tucker, and Steve Harvey. Now, a few of these comics have appeared on late nite since their network successes, but none before. The late night hosts Leno, Letterman, Conan O'Brien, John Stewart, and Greg Kilborn have a responsibility to bring the best talent to their audiences, Black, White, or whatever. Culturally, they're leaving part of the American public out. Communication among the races is at an all-time low so what better way to communicate than comedy? Leno and the other late night hosts should come on up to the ghetto sometime...and get "GHETTOSIZED"! |
