Pop Culture: The Blurred Lines of Entertainment

Robin Thicke and Paula Patton

This past week the internet has been abuzz with the news that childhood sweethearts, actress Paula Patton and R&B crooner Robin Thicke have separated.

For some reason this particular relationship has struck a nerve with people and I think it’s because they have been together for 20 years.  They have known each other since they were teenagers and married for nearly 10 years , with their union producing one son.

Recently, Thicke was in the news because of his controversial performance at the VMA’s with Miley Cyrus.  I did not see that awards show, but heard so much about the performance, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And since we live in the YouTube age, it’s not hard to find video of just about anything. Well it wasn’t hard because the performance was online everywhere.

Honestly, I could not even get through the first few minutes, it was so vulgar. It’s clear to me that there is something going on in our culture, to make us think certain things are even acceptable. But of course people are always saying  “it’s just entertainment”.

This performance along with Thicke being filmed with various young women at parties, with his hands in inappropriate places is said to be the straw that broke the camels back in the Patton/Thicke marriage.

Now of course this is all speculation based on what is being said online. Only the couple really know the reason for the break-up, but as an outsider, I would say where there is smoke there is fire and certainly, if he didn’t cheat, there have been many displays that are disrespectful to their marriage, on and off stage.

The problem with the entertainment world is that there are no boundaries, which is to be expected. But certainly a couple in that world, have to create their own boundaries, because if you don’t, you are headed for trouble.

I remember hearing this married couple (both actors) say they had a rule that there would be no tongue-kissing with anyone on-screen  (yeah okay, lol). But I guess that was something they felt would safe-guard their marriage.

I love what actor Kirk Cameron does. The  former child star of the show Growing Pains (which, incidentally Robin Thicke’s, father actor Alan Thicke also starred in) will NOT kiss anyone other than his wife. In fact in his movie Fire Proof, they purposely blurred the end scene of him kissing his character, so that they could substitute his real life wife! I love it! This is a man committed to not blurring the lines between real life and entertainment.

Now I can just hear someone saying “well it’s just acting”. Well to that I would remind you that Brad Pitt met Angelina Jolie on the set of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith and it’s a known fact that their relationship started on that set and Brad Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston at the time.  Also, Actor Eddie Cibrian and country singer Leann Rimes (now married) met on the set of a movie and had a very public affair as a result of playing lovers in a movie and both divorced their mates and married. But it’s just acting right?

For some reason, this post just came to mind. I’m not even sure why. Maybe someone out their needs this.  But the moral to this post is that we must have boundaries. That goes for anyone, no matter who you are.  Remember to hold up a standard!

Romans 12:2

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

2 Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

Preachers of L.A.

Yes, there is a reality show about men in ministry and even before the show aired there was controversy in the Body of Christ about the show. And it hasn’t died down since the show aired. But at least people can give an informed opinion because they have watched the show.

I was very interested because one of my favorite preachers is in the show and because I kind of enjoy reality TV (pray for me) I had a feeling that I would enjoy the show and I did.

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes with your Pastor? Well this show gives a small window into what goes on in the life of a minister. Whether this should be filmed or not, is a matter of opinion. I think the biggest problem (with the church) is the fact that these men are Pastors, but again I found it to be quite interesting.

The series started with popular gospel artist Detrick Haddon, who sang in ministry with his wife of 10 years for many years, but finds himself embroiled in controversy because he got a woman pregnant out of wedlock, while going through a divorce. Detrick had to step down from leading his church because of the divorce.

Detrick is one of the more controversial cast members and my only issue with Detrick is he kept trying to deflect attention off of how he was living by attacking how the church dealt with his sin. Yes, he acknowledged it, but he and his now wife still spent most of their time justifying their “blurred line Christianity”.

Here is he truth. Detrick got divorced and before it was final he got involved in adultery. Let’s just call a spade a spade. It is what it is. he broke God’s law (we all have) and I’m sure repented. So own it and make it right. I had a hard time with how he and his wife tried to justify their sin by saying “God put us together”.

Next was Bishop Noel Jones, who is a 63 year old single Pastor who has been divorced for 20 years. He and his long-time friend of 16 years have a very complicated relationship which was undefined. What is not covered in the show is his dating life, and some other issues, which I won’t mention.  But his friend, Loretta, has stuck it out through it all and you can see there is some what of a connection.

Bishop Jones said that he wanted people to see the human side of men in ministry and that is exactly what you see. He clearly has issues of abandonment and it had kept him from making a commitment for years. I found it all quite insightful.

There are a few other pastors, which I won’t mention in the post, but I decided to blog about this because I watched much of the marathon that was on today.

So what is the point? I guess the point is the world is changing and even preachers are getting reality shows. 😉

Pop Culture: What Happened to Miley?

I’m a Christian, but I like to keep up with Pop Culture as well. There is nothing more boring than a Christian who only knows what is going on in the church. We need to keep up the trends and understand the culture around us. I’m not talking about being in love with the world. I am talking about being informed. This is especially important when you have kids.

So I was on social media and EVERYONE was talking about the raunchy performance given by Miley Cyrus (formerly, Disney’s’ Hannah Montana) on the VMA awards. I did not watch the show, but of course you can find everything on video in today’s world. So I watched a part of it (enough to see it was a train wreck) and since it cut off suddenly, I figured it was God’s way of saying enough.

The response to her performance is that most people were appalled at the behavior of this girl and I have to say it’s bad. For starters, she was bumping and grinding against a married man (singer Robin Thicke). But this is not about bashing Miley. He should also be held responsible. But today’s culture is full of blurred lines… (we will talk about that at another time).

There is a bigger problem going on here and it’s cultural. It’s really about the sexualization of young women in our culture and being objectified. And also, it’s the sickness of the music industry as well. It’s a machine that turns girls, who were once idolized by other girls, into sex objects. I believe its strategic and planned to corrupt more children. Honestly, if I were a parent, I would keep my kids from all of it.

Miley’s Dad recently told a magazine that the devil had taken over his family and he regretted that she was ever in the industry. That in itself, made me feel as though he must have some spiritual roots. So what should we do about Miley? Pray for her. I found myself praying for her salvation and that God would set her free from that demonic industry that has clearly corrupted this girl. She clearly needs our prayers! It’s deeper than we realize.

1 John 2:15

New International Version (NIV)

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them.

Random Thoughts

I went to see Lee Daniels The Butler again and honestly I enjoyed it better the second time around. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone, but I enjoy seeing my own people on the screen. I routinely go to see movies where the cast is primarily Caucasian, but I do love seeing my folks (African-American) on screen. I particularly loved Oprah’s performance. I saw online that there is Oscar Buzz in the air for Lady O. How awesome would that be?!

At the end of the movie I had tears in my eyes as I thought how far Blacks have come yet we still are dealing with some of the same issues in 2013. Racism, is the epitome of ignorance. To think that you are superior to another group of people because of the color of your skin,  is insanity. But that is not what I want to talk about.

I can’t explain it, but that movie made me want to come out of my shell. I’ve been sheltered really all of my life. My family sheltered me, and so has God, but as I watched the life of this butler play out, I felt sad, but also felt a push to LIVE. I thought about what my story would look like if it played out on a movie screen. Don’t get me wrong. I have a life, but it is nowhere near what I want it to be and I need to get to making some changes, because I am not getting any younger.

I’m going to start by taking a little trip next month. There are two plays I want to see and I tried to do this back in 2011, but had to cancel because something came up with my father that prevented me from going. But this time I am going to carefully plan my trip. Perhaps now is the time. A mini vacation can make all the difference in the world. I know how to live and I am about to do it better!

Ecclesiastes 3:1

New International Version (NIV)

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

My New Normal and The Family Stone

My “new normal” is feeling kind of good. I can’t shed not one tear over the past. I would say for about the last year, God was taking something out of me and preparing  me to let go of some thing and It’s the best thing that could have happened, just like losing my house. Who would think losing could be good? But it can be!

Have you ever looked back and wondered what something was all about? Well I have, but not this time!! lol I am glad I went through what I did because I will recognize the right person when they come. If you need to do an entire makeover of that person whether spiritual or physical, they are not the one. All of us want to be loved just the way we are and we have a right to. And that is what I am looking for.

This afternoon, I was watching this movie called The Family Stone and I love this movie because there is a part where this man is just crazy about this woman, from the time he lays eyes on her. And he likes her JUST THE WAY SHE IS. It wasn’t just about her looks or her heart. It was all of her. BOTH are important especially for men. I don’t care what anyone says. You can have the most beautiful heart in the world, but the man needs to be physically attracted to you as well. Same applies for women, but it’s really important for men.

There is a WONDERFUL little twist in the movie which I won’t spoil, just in case you want to rent it. No matter how many times I watch it, I end up in tears. But I was talking about my new normal. I’m so free I could fly away like a bird! Only people who know me will get that one. 😉

Pop-Culture: Catfish the Movie

There is this show on MTV called Catfish and the show is the creation of a man who had an online relationship with this woman with whom he fell in love with and he documented his experience. The term “catfish” comes from people who try to hook someone online, usually by deception

It’s an interesting show because so many people are now meeting on the internet and very few people are turning out to be who they say they are. Most lie about something and usually it’s their real identity.

If you do meet online, I am a strong advocate for meeting right away. I know my brother met his wife in under a year. I think the worse thing someone can do is drag out an online relationship. But I am definitely not going to meet my husband online. That is just NOT for me.

I woke up thinking about this because I know I have been catfished. I know I have met plenty of people who’s identities are fake. It’s something I have learned to discern because there have been several over the years.

I really dislike deception. This is the ultimate story of deception. I’ve posted a few clips about the original movie.  Enjoy!

SPOILER ALERT…THIS LAST VIDEO GIVES A LOT AWAY!!