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This Week in Black: ‘Hidden Fences,’ L&HH Practices Non-Violence and Obama’s Farewell Gives Us All Real Tears

It's been a rollercoaster of emotions.

As one great president leaves the White House, we’re reminded of the dumber one before him. Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former president George W. Bush, decided that she wanted to do the red carpet at the Golden Globes. Yeah, I’m just as confused as you are right now, too. She made a couple of bumps along the way. One of them was asking Pharrell “Ageless” Williams about the movie Hidden Fences earning a nomination. Come again? Bye, Jenna. If Pharrell’s stunned reaction on his ageless face wasn’t enough, imagine how it felt for Octavia Spencer (who was nominated for Hidden Figures) to be announced during the ceremony by actor Michael Keaton in her category for her role in...Hidden Fences?! White people, stop trying to make Hidden Fences happen. It’s not happening and this form of sudden amnesia shade with all of our Black Hollywood excellence right now isn’t cutting it. Y’all lucky Viola Davis won that night for her role in Fences, or she and the cast of Hidden Figures would have got y’all together. Thankfully, Jenna gave an emotional apology. We accept the apology, boo. I’m sure she’ll be on Black movie overload for Black History Month — she’ll never mess up a Black movie title again!

A Bush daughter told Pharrell he composed music for Hidden Fences at the Golden Globes...she tried it.


L&HHNY Didn’t Throw Hands


They must have been getting ready for MLK Day early because two cast members on Love & Hip Hop settled their beef without any chairs, hands or weaves being thrown. Yes, you read that right. For “Creep Squad” members Cisco and Peter Gunz, a long-term beef over money was about to have them flipping tables and going for blows. The way the preview was set up, you thought this was going to be a fight more epic than Chris Brown vs. Soulja Boy, but Mona Scott Young trolled us in the best way. During the confrontation and before things got too heated, Cisco broke down about his personal emotional struggles and Peter hugged him with empathy. I almost cried real thug tears as these two showed empathy, let go of the toxic masculinity and showed some sense of brotherhood. Don’t get it twisted, I know that this one moment won’t turn the show into Iyanla Fix My Life, but it was quite a surprise nonetheless.

President Obama’s love for the First Lady during his farewell made him — and us, too — cry.


“I want someone who looks at me the way Barack does at Michelle,” said every single person in America on Tuesday night. “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson,” our outgoing Black president said to a packed crowd in her hometown. That’s right. He called the first lady by her full name. “Girl from the South Side” — he even gave her block a shout-out. “You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor,” Obama said with passion. “You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model,” he added as his eyes began to sweat. So did mine as I watched him like an old school Lifetime movie. “So, you have made me proud and you have made the country proud.” The levees of my eyelids broke and out came the tears. A standing ovation was an understatement. Seeing Malia cry next to her mama was enough to take me over. Meanwhile, folks wondering where Sasha was, she was studying for a final, of course, because Black parents aren’t about that staying up on a school night life. But I wouldn’t want to be there to see the cameras be all up in my feelings either. It was an emotional roller coaster seeing President Obama say farewell to the biggest boss position in the free world. His successor has some very big shoes to fill. And with those small hands, let’s hope he gets serious quickly.

Until next week, Black America, remember to keep some Kleenex near you the entire week leading up to the hot mess — I mean Presidential Inauguration — and pray that Hidden Fences doesn’t become a trend on the Oscars red carpet and that more hugs are being thrown around than wigs on MLK Day!

 

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