Ghetto Candies, Vol. 1

My mom's visit to Los Angeles was therapeutic, I think, for us and for her. (She got to escape the T for a minute and I got to escape the j.o. Fair trade.) Holla @ me on Facebook if you trying to see all the pictures and stuff.

But I'd like to direct your attention to the San Pedro portion of our trip. The part when we went to go see this place.


Me and Tree had been there before, but stepping in was like a window into my childhood.


And it got me reminiscin' on the ghetto candies of 'hoodmas past. Like:



That's right. I come straight for the chest right out the gate. Never has fake citrus been so appreciated as when these ol' sour Lemon Heads hit the 'hood. I remember cats would get called stingy for like, half their childhood, if they had some of these on them and didn't share. (And you didn't want to get called stingy. It was like having leprosy.) I don't know why we was acting like times was so hard. The corner stores back in T-Town was charging like a quarter for these bad boys back in the '80s. They was straight golden, no pun intended.

The fundamental staple of any 'hood diet.

Plus, once you emptied the box, it made a nice harmonica.



Lemon Heads was the gateway "teeth rotter/on the way to diabetes already and a ni**a's only nine" candy. From the same evil monarchy that kept mad dentists in business came:






I almost fainted when I saw some of these candies, dog. Alexander the Grape? In the summer of '85, I saw Bill Armstrong get dropkicked in the larynx over some Alexander the Grape! Even now, as an adult, I considered holding the place up to get some Johnny Apple Treats. Boston Baked Beans was hit or miss. But I guess getting me to eat anything affliated with Boston while this guy was terrorizing my Bad Boys was akin to the Camp David Agreement.

You've gotta give it to those cutthroat capitalists over at Ferrara Pan. It was a nifty way to introduce kids to fruits without actually making want to eat actual fruits. Which leads me to my next ghetto candy:


Wrong wrong wrong wrong on so many levels. To my knowledge, there were two variations on this candy. There was the kind that was more prevalent in my hood, where it was a candy and the end of the tip was painted pink to suggest a lit cigarette. Then, there was the kind in San Pedro, which my wife said she grew up with.

1) Cigarette looking paper conceals the gum inside. Perfect for faux Don Johnson-look by Miami Vice watching nine-year-olds.

2) Blow the cigarette and real smoke comes out. Perfect for addicting small children to the real thing!

3) Peel off the paper and chew the gum inside. Fun for the whole family!

While we were talking about Philip Morris's feeder system, disguised as harmless childhood fun, my Mom told us that when she was a kid, they actually had the name of real cigarettes (Camel, etc.) on the candies. Where was the FDA when this was going on? They might've as well have just put real cigarettes in there, laced with cinnamon just to suck the kids in. Speaking of know better, do better:



I loved me some Cherry Sours, but damn. They might as well have just called 'em Jelly Junglebunnies and put Stepin' Fetchit on the cover. Got me looking at Ferrara Pan a little suspect.

Next time: The federal government introduces prostitution to the 'hood by releasing a candy called Sugar Daddy, Chick-O-Sticks as hide-and-go-get-it collateral, and the greatest 'hood candy of all time.

Itzsoweezee ( yeah, right)

As I continue my week-long descent into madness trying to get an editing program (any editing program!) to capture the images that I shot last weekend, I thought about my favorite De La Soul video. (There's no rhyme or reason, that's just how my brain works.) The song is called "Itzsoweezee," the irony being that I am at wits end trying to figure out how I'm going to edit my movie. I thought actually editing it would be the hard part -- and not really hard, just time consuming -- I had no idea that actually getting a program to a) accept my camera or b) accept my footage in the format that it was finalized in would take up most of my evenings and that I would still have nothing to show for it.

If you're reading this and you know something about this kind of thing, please help.

Anyway, here's the De La Soul video.

De La Soul - Itzsoweezee
Music Video Codes

Definitely a slept-on song in their canon, but the video always moved me because it's so fun. It took me back to high school. Well, not my high school , per se, but high school in general. You'd have a hard time shooting a video like this today, especially with such an all-star cast of rappers. People wouldn't let their guard down enough to be silly for 3 minutes and then, the cheerleaders would have to be naked or something. It just wouldn't work. Sad.

Happily, my mom's coming into town tomorrow and she'll be here all week. It's good. I need a break from this computer before I throw it out the window.

Takin' You Higher

Okayplayer hipped me to this cool Vanity Fair article on the recently unearthed Sly Stone. Many who know me know that I've been a big fan of his music since '99 or so. I was fortunate to interview his brother Fred, sister Rose, and former trumpet player/baby mama Cynthia Robinson back in 2000 when I was working on a piece about him.

There's nothing I can really say here that isn't said better in the article on how much Sly's rise and fall meant to music both then and now. Let's just say that his decision to come back and play live gigs is a really big deal to people who know their music.

Still trying to figure out some things about my friend's camera that will allow me to edit and upload my short, tentatively titled, Chris Short: Toddler Reporter. Hopefully, my problems will be resolved by tomorrow. (My problems that relate to this film anyway. All my other problems will continue on, uninterrupted as usual.)

My sinuses are draining today, which is not cool. As usual, it's a reflection on the variable temperatures out here, plus the AC at my job, plus the lack of AC in my car/at the crib. And the fact that I've hardly been sleeping this week thanks to my newfound obsession, Rhapsody.


Just started watching that new BET show, Baldwin Hills, last night. At first, I was all pumped that middle-class black kids were being given their shine, but all the negative Inglewood comments left kind of a nasty taste in my mouth. For those who don't know: Baldwin Hills is not a city, it is a neighborhood. It is at the top of several hills that are bordered by rough spots like the Jungle (where Denzel was kicking it with Eva Mendez in Training Day) and very nice black neighborhoods like Ladera Heights and View Park. What's funny was how they was trying to talk about Inglewood like it's the 'hood, then they ended up kicking it with Stacy at a nice cafe in where? Inglewood! Basically if cats from Baldwin Hills is trying to eat or shop, but stay close to the crib, they gotta come to the 'Wood. Fifty dollars say we see these cats at The Serving Spoon before the show ends. Get outta here wit all that shullbit.

But I still liked the show. Didn't know that little model girl grew up to be so spoiled.

Watched the Charm School reunion. Why them things be so heavily overedited?



I'm not usually into Mo'nique, but her speeches were riveting. It looks like this cool Vanity Fair article Larissa is angling to be the new New York. And why do I always come out of these things feeling sorry for LaLa?

Here's my playlist on Rhapsody (on shuffle) just since I started setting this entry up:

1. Outside My Door -- Can
2. Stop -- J. Dilla
3. I'll Be Faithful -- Dusty Springfield
4. Freddie's Dead -- MFSB
5. You Are the Way You Are (demo) -- Leon Ware
6. Journey Into You -- Leon Ware
7. Lonely -- Bebel Gilberto
8. Babylon -- OutKast
9. If You Play Your Cards Right -- Syleena Johnson
10. Freeprise -- Little Barrie
11. Oh No (You Can't Be Serious) -- Carl Thomas
12. Good Girl -- Chrisette Michele
13. Tomorrow's Dream -- Al Green

If Summer League is any indication, Yi is going to be the NBA Rookie of the Year. But my man Stuckey doesn't seem to be far behind. Joe Dizzle kills 'em again.

More than meets the eye

Wow. Just came from seeing Transformers and, wow. What was the last summer movie that actually lived up to expectations for me? Spider-Man, probably. But it's been awhile. The buzz on this one was deafening and reinforced that it was something that I really needed to see. Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. The special effects, the story line, the acting, etc. There were some weird plot things that didn't quite make sense, that, in any other movie would've been insufferable. But the action is so hype and the robots are so menacing/look so real, many obvious sins are forgiven. Michael Bay redeems himself.

Side note: I'm sitting there watching the film thinking, is Megan Fox just a white Meagan Good?




I guess we should ask Tyrese, since he's now acted in movies alongside both of them. Anyway, go see the movie.

What have I been doing? I saw several movies at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The one I liked the most is called Rocket Science and if you're into quirky stuff like the kinds of movies Wes Anderson makes, you're going to love it. It's about this nerdy cat in Jersey who goes out for the debating team. Problem is, he stutters. That's the logline, but there's so much else going on this film, you absolutely have to see it. It's hysterical, but also a very grounded, honest movie.

Oh yeah, and during the LA Film Fest also sat in on a free interview that Elvis Mitchell did with this guy...



It takes awhile to get Pharrell to open up, but once he did, he told hilarious stories about battles with record labels, what movies inspired him, and how he's not nearly as technologically savvy as his music might lead you to think. All in all, it was an honor be near someone whose music I admire so much. I have most of the interview on tape on my camcorder, but I seem to have misplaced the wire that would allow me to connect it to my computer.

Otherwise, just finished up my rewrite of Chapter 2 of Somewhere Between Here and There. My professor was very impressed by my rewrite of the first chapter, so hopefully, I'm on the right track to getting published.

Yesterday was interesting. Not only did I shoot another short, one that I think will be funny. My co-star this time was this person...



Francois Truffaut once said something to the effect that, "You're not really a director until you direct children." Well, I earned my stripes on this one. Perhaps I shouldn't say that. I still have to edit it, which I hope to finish this week. Basically, he plays a toddler sports reporter who insults my character -- a basketball star -- and then we fight, a fight that he easily wins. You'll see. It'll be up on YouTube and MySpace and all the usual places this time. And Shawn Parker will be hitting the 'net soon in some other places. I promise.

In the middle of making the film, we were at the house all day watching Live Earth. I'm always happy to feel like I'm a part of something bigger than myself and watching it certainly made me feel this way. There were quite a few highlights, and here's one of them. People who know me know I heart my fellow Aquarian, Alicia Keys.



As well as John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae.



Apparently I missed Duran Duran (sob) and Ludacris, but hey, I can only do so much, right?