It is this thesis on which executive produce Queen Latifah created the new docu-drama From The Bottom Up. The show features five women from various falls from grace, who are trying, in the words of the Donny McClurkin's song, “to get back up.”
“From the Bottom Up” hooks you in with some of the most compelling disgrace stories of the past years - the perjured mistress, the DUI city government employee, the female rapper that goes to prison for domestic abuse, and the obscure movie actress who shot a man at the infamous “Freaknic”. Their lives are displayed like the carnage of a multiple car accident and the audience is searching for survivors.
From the first episode, the survival seems to take a back seat in order to provide more of what we have come to expect out of reality tv shows with African American women – judgment, pettiness and more judgment. The show opens under the premise of ladies getting together to bond and quickly turns in to belittling, subtle shade and not so subtle comparison. In the 30 minute debut episode that aired on Centric TV, “From the Bottom Up” managed to tell yet another story of “why women can’t get along” or more importantly “why African American women can’t get along”.
What I was hoping to see was how they were healing their lives and the lives around them from the hurt that was caused by their downfall. Instead, the previews for upcoming episodes make me believe that it is about how not to get along, how to gossip, and how not to heal. The shows direction keeps the viewer more interested in the proverbial “bottoms” stories, than the women who are the subjects of the show.
There were a total of six episodes order for “From the Bottom Up” and I hope that over the next five weeks, we get to see more of these ladies in the process of their becoming better people and less of them become mean women.
If you have lived long enough, you have a skeleton in your closet. “From the Bottom Up” could be an inspiration for so many lives. Instead, I am afraid, that this show is simply the filming of the carnage of the wreck of lives.
I hope I am wrong.
Michelle R. Gipson
“From the Bottom Up” hooks you in with some of the most compelling disgrace stories of the past years - the perjured mistress, the DUI city government employee, the female rapper that goes to prison for domestic abuse, and the obscure movie actress who shot a man at the infamous “Freaknic”. Their lives are displayed like the carnage of a multiple car accident and the audience is searching for survivors.
From the first episode, the survival seems to take a back seat in order to provide more of what we have come to expect out of reality tv shows with African American women – judgment, pettiness and more judgment. The show opens under the premise of ladies getting together to bond and quickly turns in to belittling, subtle shade and not so subtle comparison. In the 30 minute debut episode that aired on Centric TV, “From the Bottom Up” managed to tell yet another story of “why women can’t get along” or more importantly “why African American women can’t get along”.
What I was hoping to see was how they were healing their lives and the lives around them from the hurt that was caused by their downfall. Instead, the previews for upcoming episodes make me believe that it is about how not to get along, how to gossip, and how not to heal. The shows direction keeps the viewer more interested in the proverbial “bottoms” stories, than the women who are the subjects of the show.
There were a total of six episodes order for “From the Bottom Up” and I hope that over the next five weeks, we get to see more of these ladies in the process of their becoming better people and less of them become mean women.
If you have lived long enough, you have a skeleton in your closet. “From the Bottom Up” could be an inspiration for so many lives. Instead, I am afraid, that this show is simply the filming of the carnage of the wreck of lives.
I hope I am wrong.
Michelle R. Gipson
Golden Globe Winners?
I might be the exception to the rule, but I do not watch award shows. Not just some specific ones, all of them. I stopped watching them a few years ago, partly because they have the same effect on me as roller coaster rides at amusement parks – terrorizing anticipation, followed by tremendous let down. I stopped riding roller coasters too. The other reason is that is a large chunk of time that I do not have to give to the real time experience. My new activity of fun is reading Twitter and Facebook feeds in the morning. I feel as if I was right there and my friends commentating about what is happening is way more entertaining.
Here is the complete list of Golden Globe Winners
This is where I would normally bring up the lack of diversity in the nominees or winners, but I am not sure who is at fault this year. When I look at the selection of movies released by, for or about African Americans, I do not see a lot of quality to choose from. What do you think? Who is to blame, if anyone for the lack of diversity in this Golden Globe Awards?
If you are curious, I have included a ink to a list of African American movies of 2014.
Here is the complete list of Golden Globe Winners
This is where I would normally bring up the lack of diversity in the nominees or winners, but I am not sure who is at fault this year. When I look at the selection of movies released by, for or about African Americans, I do not see a lot of quality to choose from. What do you think? Who is to blame, if anyone for the lack of diversity in this Golden Globe Awards?
If you are curious, I have included a ink to a list of African American movies of 2014.