In defense of “Trash” (This Black-Ass Life)
Welcome to the 81st installment of This Black-Ass Life! With Thanksgiving coming this Thursday, we want to share what we are grateful for: “garbage” content. We’re living through a year of hot takes, a panny and mess at every turn, so why not take in messy shows and movies for comfort?
Don’t forget: We've managed to grow this list thanks to y'all forwarding to friends so please keep it up! Forward this link to subscribe to five friends. And send us topics you'd like to see covered, texts from your Black-ass people, and any Black-ass anything from around the world and web.
I. The Facts
We recommend:
Reality TV
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: There has never been a stronger debut of a real housewives show. Drop what you’re doing and check in with these women in Utah. Each needs to be brought to the red table.
Real Housewives of Potomac: Whatever team is coming together to produce this season, from the people who mic the ladies to the ones trimming the video, each of them deserves to EGOT.
Love After Lockup: A most fantastic show about people who find love with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people. One note: Sometimes the show is sad and everyone on it very much needs therapy and adequate government response to poverty and addiction.
B-level Black movies. Five stars all around.
Seriously Single: A South African film on its way to being a classic. Dineo is a social media manager who is relationship obsessed and she tries to learn how to be single with her free-spirited best friend Noni. This movie is perfect.
Almost Christmas: This is cheating, because it’s really an A-List movie but Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, Kimberly Elise and more came together to deliver the perfect holiday movie about a family reuniting and rehashing unresolved issues.
Always A Bridesmaid: We have each seen this movie several times. Four women are in different places in their search for love including a copyeditor who is always a bridesmaid and wondering when it will be her turn to be a bride.
Hallmark & Lifetime holiday movies
Merry Liddle Christmas: Kelly Rowland is an adorable and perfect actor. She plays a tech entrepreneur (remember her inventing texting through excel?!) who falls in love with her very fine neighbor and contends with the whirlwind of family descending on her home for the holidays.
A Gingerbread Romance: Tia Mowry is an architect who brings her skills to a gingerbread making contest that turns into a high-stakes affair. She falls in love as she balances shortbread against frosting.
Netflix bonus: The Princess Switch: Switched Again: I (Mitu) stand in full-throated defense of this iconic pair of movies. In the sequel, we have Vanessa Hudgens playing not one, not two, but THREE characters. Her range? Endless.
YouTube
D’angelo Wallace’s documentary style videos on his main channel and secondary channel keep us young. We’ve learned about all the makeup drama, the Paul brothers, Blair White, the netflix movie Cuties, a whole cult on YouTube and more.
Kennie J.D.'s “Bad Movies and a Beat” series teaches us how to apply makeup and about the awful movies that we never knew existed. Thanks to Kennie, we learned about Neo Ned, a movie starring Gabrielle Union and Jeremy Renner in which he is a white supremacist and she believes she has Hitler’s spirit inside her (they fall in love).
Terrell Grice has us listening to gospel stars, gospel-adjacent stars, film & TV stars like Amber Riley and more flex their vocal chops. Terrell also does comedy like this video featuring KevOnStage where they rank soul food.
Bonus: Books
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa is D.C.’s answer to romance.
All of Jasmine Guillory’s books feature Black women being loved on, and it’s so nice. Start with The Wedding Date.
ll. Other Things
Things that are not trash.
The Fresh Prince reunion was cute. Will, you’ve been to the Red Table and now it’s time to give the Blacktress her things.
I (Jumoke) am only putting my trust in these Black doctors vetting these vaccines.
This fine-ass sportsman doesn’t do sports anymore but he paints which, so cute!
War and imperialism are awful. That said, some of these men are out here lookin’ good!
The little baby afro puffs! The jammies! We love this business.
Pyer Moss keeps doing all the right things
Gucci Mane and Jeezy’s Verzuz was an evening to remember.
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Jumoke):
Icy.
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to being a good citizen, sitting on my high horse and judging the rest of you who are traveling this holiday season. Stay the fuck home and save your loved one’s life!
I (Mitu) look forward to Mariah’s holiday special on December 4. It’s Her season and we’re all blessed when She chooses to share it with us.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Mama
My (Jumoke’s) mama loved the video of this AMAZING young Black woman shutting it down at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
Stay Black, thrive and be safe! We’ll hit your inbox next on December 7.