What I've Been Watching: January

Hi! It feels like I was just writing last month's WIBW and here we are, already at the end of January. I've started watching some new stuff, mainly on traditional tv, but I've been getting back into Netflix so we'll see more of that next month. This month's list isn't very long but I did have a lot to say about a couple of the things on the list. Everything else should be fairly easy to get through. So what'd I watch this month?

The Four

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story

The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Dave Chappelle: e-qua-nim-i-ty and the bird revelation

The Queens' Court

Let's start with traditional tv. I'm not really one for music-based reality competitions but my uncle and his wife are back at it again with the recommendation bullying, so here I am, watching The Four. lol The Four is the new kid on the block of music competitions, but I like the format of this show so I might stick around. This is a rotating competition, in which four artists are seated and the night's competitors sing in an effort to challenge one of the four for their seat. If the judges (Charlie Walk, Meghan Trainor, Diddy and DJ Khaled) think the person has what it takes to potentially be part of the four, they have to unanimously vote to pass the person through. Each judge's vote comes in individually as a blue ring on the stage and if even one judge votes no, their ring will light up red and the person doesn't get through. If the judges vote to pass the person through, the competitor gets to choose who they'll challenge. Both people perform again, then the audience chooses who wins the challenge. Whoever wins gets the seat and locks it in for the rest of the night (which means any other competitors that night are not allowed to challenge them), and whoever loses obviously goes home. Fergie hosts the show (go to Twitter and look for a gif of her spinning on the show, it's hilarious and so extra lol) and I really like the setup; it's fresh and makes things more exciting. I like the judges' chemistry and the energy of the show. People were up in arms last Thursday because the audience sent Zhavia, the fan (and judge--looking at you, Meghan Trainor) favorite, home and were threatening to go on strike against the show. I wasn't a fan so my panties weren't twisted about it but Twitter was heated. lol If people are really about to boycott an entire show and threaten people's paychecks trying to drop the ratings over one person, then ✌. FOH. Anyway, against my wishes, I ended up really liking the show and now I'm all in. And just like I said back in October--the last time my uncle bullied me into watching a show--I start watching the damn thing and guess who stops calling me when it comes on?? SMH 

Another thing I don't often watch is the late night crowd. I'm more of a Jimmy Kimmel person myself as late night hosts go, but Stephen Colbert is winning me over. I don't care much for the actual shows, I prefer the monologues at the top of the show, but if I were to sit through an entire show it'd likely be Jimmy Kimmel's. I was watching my local news one night and forgot to change the channel after the show was over, and ended up catching one of Colbert's monologues. I used to appreciate the late night monologues on Kimmel's show as a lighthearted dig at current events, but I've found myself much more intrigued by Colbert's more sarcastic, extremely obvious harassment of your president. lol #NotMyPresident LOL Kidding. 👀

A couple of weeks ago, Lifetime premiered their newest true crime film Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story and I have to admit I was really excited to see it. Part of the reason was because I was kind of expecting it to be a shitshow, and the other reason was because she's a footnote in Narcos and I've read so much about her that I wanted to see Lifetime's take on her story. If you've never read about Griselda Blanco, you should. That was one scary broad. Lifetime's version of events is obviously more glamorized than the real one, and it made me even more excited to see the Jennifer Lopez version of La Madrina, but it wasn't all-out terrible. I will say that the accent was terrible. To be fair, Catherine Zeta-Jones is Welsh and a Colombian accent is not an easy one to imitate with an American tongue so I know a British one is probably harder to work around, but I wasn't a fan. There were some bits in her story I didn't know or remember and I liked how Lifetime integrated them into the film. It wasn't terrible, but CZJ got a lot of shit for playing a Latina character. Honestly, that's part of the reason I expected it to be a shitshow--people were describing the trailers like they were the worst thing of life and I know Lifetime's penchant for watering down or whitewashing a story so that's what I went in expecting. It delivered a little on both fronts. lol The former is fine with me because the real story is absolutely horrifying. I would have preferred a Latina actress in the role, but I'm not going to spit on CZJ for taking it on either. It just seemed like a bit of a mismatch. I wouldn't go as far as to say I loved the film, but I didn't hate it either. If you're new to La Madrina's story, you'll come out of it learning a lot about her but it won't be winning any awards.


I just started watching The Assassination of Gianni Versace, so I don't have too much to say about it yet. One thing I will say however is that the styling and filmography on these shows is always amazing. Ryan Murphy be killin' it. LOL The casting is dead-on; I raised an eyebrow when I saw set photos of Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace but I decided to give it a chance like I did with CJZ and Griselda Blanco. I was about 10 when Gianni Versace was murdered so I remember the gist of the story and not much else, so I wanted to see what this season would reveal. I've learned my lesson from season 1 of Feud and I know now how much FX loves their 'creative liberties' so I'm already getting my fact checkers in order. lol


Moving on to Netflix, I watched Dave Chappelle's other two-part special earlier in the month and to nobody's surprise if they know me well, I loved them. e-qua-nim-i-ty was filmed at the old Chappelle's Show theater and felt a bit more like his previous Netflix special, while the bird revelation was filmed at a comedy club in LA with a much more intimate and serious setting. I think this series of shows was a more relaxed, more honest Chappelle, a much more socially conscious Chappelle. That social consciousness also helped him to say even more raunchy shit in response, which I appreciated. These are dark, divisive days in Hollywood--and the country--right now, and for those who aren't wrapped up in their own scandal, it can be tricky water to navigate. Chappelle seems aware of that in the bird revelation, but can't help but poke a few funnies at its expense anyway. I was angry at myself for giggling....but it was a little funny. Not the harassment, obviously, the shit he said. lol The e-qua-nim-i-ty show was more about Dave's fame, and his rejection/acceptance of it such as it is. It wasn't quite as angry as the first Netflix specials, when I felt that maybe he felt he had something to prove. Dave Chappelle is one of my favorite comedians of all time, which is hilarious to say now because I actually couldn't stand him until maybe the end of Chappelle's Show. I have to admit I wondered if he still had it or not when I heard Netflix was giving him a special; I'd heard about one-off shows in the years after the Block Party, but I also heard about the trouble and the stumbles he had at those shows. I also wondered what in the hell Hollywood had done to him. LOL But I did have my questions, which he dispelled quite easily in the first set of Netflix shows. This second set of shows, however, felt a bit closer to CS-era Dave, and it was nice. It reminded me how PC, how outraged we've gotten as a society (in general, I'm not referencing the assault cases) that now his comedy is considered to be in the Carlin style of comedy where everything is offensive and its an acquired taste. I never had that thought back in 2004, which tells me that either I'm woke now (which would be true) or that the landscape of comedy and society have changed and I'm used to hearing certain kinds of jokes now (which is also true). It sounds stupid, but I think society needs a Chappelle. Sure, Key and Peele had a lock on the comedic part of the style that made CS so good, but they didn't nail the racial part of it like he did. That was what set him apart, I think.


The Queens' Court has the Internet abuzz right now as the latest celebrity gossip show of sorts on YouTube. If you haven't seen it, a weekly docket of celebrity defendants submitted by the people (viewers) are brought in front of the dishonorable judges Ts Madison and Queen Khia and they decide the celebrity's fate. They also roast the shit out of them. lol If I'm being honest, I do find the show a bit petty but it's also pretty entertaining. I wish Maddie got more time to talk; if I had a complaint with the show it'd be that Khia overtalks her. A lot. In most of the episodes I've seen, you can see frustration gradually building up on Maddie's face, either because Khia's overtalking her or revisiting a prior issue and talking about it for too long. I simultaneously live for her frustration and feel for her because I understand. lol Both my mom and I have BFFs who spend most of our conversations talking so I get it.

This was a more random list but I was trying to change things up a bit. Anyway, this might be the last of me you see for a couple of weeks. My annual Black History Spotlight series starts over on ATV tomorrow, so it may be quiet around here until around Spring Break. There are a couple of posts scheduled to post here throughout the month but you won't see them for another week or so. If I can find a relevant way to tie in Black History Month here with some reviews, sites or apps, I'll do that. I have a new series for this blog that'll be posting in a few hours, so keep an eye out for that. It's kinda like WIBW, but for a different category I cover here on the blog. What did you watch this month?