Starr
02-27-2006, 02:08 AM
March 6, 2006 issue - People go on reality TV shows for all sorts of crazy reasons: to find a husband, to lose weight, to learn ballroom dancing. Rose wanted to become black, so she signed on for FX's "Black. White." Changing her race is a pretty tall order, considering that Rose, 18, has blond hair and blue eyes. But she's not letting her complexion stop her. She joins a slam poetry group, takes lessons in street slang and, with the help of a team of Hollywood makeup artists, darkens her eyes, hair and skin. Rose's new black friends are completely fooled, at least by the makeup—her poetry still sounds awfully white bread. Fortunately, "Black. White." is anything but. It's that rarest of breeds—the serious reality show. And a nervy one, too. After all, Rose does spend much of "Black. White."—a show that explores the meaning of race in everyday life—in blackface.
At least she's got company. "Black. White." is a biracial family affair: the Wurgels (Rose; her mother, Carmen, and Carmen's boyfriend, Bruno) and the African-American Sparkses (Nick and parents, Brian and Renee) spent six weeks living together and trading races. It's like two shows in one—"Extreme Makeover" meets "The Real World." At first, it looks as if the make-over part is going to be more interesting. The physical transformations (created by the makeup team from "Big Momma's House") are stunning, and utterly convincing. When Bruno and Carmen, in blackface, go to an all-white country and Western dance, she can't get a cup of coffee without a credit card. "I don't recall that happening to me as a white woman," Carmen says. "White" Nick attends a Beverly Hills etiquette class, where the kids waste no time tossing around the N word. They do, however, learn how to stand up straight.
But we expect the outside world to be harsh. Where "Black. White." really gets ugly is when the families return to their shared home. As always on these kinds of shows, casting is everything, and the Wurgels and Sparkses turn on each other almost immediately. To the degree he'll admit that racism exists, Bruno says black folks should just get over it, which doesn't exactly sit well with the Sparkses. At one point, Carmen jokingly calls Renee a "bitch"—she thinks it's a hip-hop term of endearment. Renee begs to differ. In fact, she differs so fiercely, she's soon got Carmen in tears. There are more tears per hour of "Black. White." than in any installment of "The Bachelor."
"Black. White." can be fascinating, but it's a reality show, so at times it feels phony around the edges. The producers (who include Ice Cube and "War Room" documentarian R. J. Cutler) tend to put the families in racially charged environments—an all-white bar, the poetry slam—selected for maximum conflict. The families have their flaws, too. The Wurgels obviously want to experience African-American life. When they do or say something offensive, it's out of naivete or ignorance, but never indifference. The Sparkses are much less interested in finding out how the other half lives than they are in teaching the Wurgels about the evils of racism. They sound strident, while the Wurgels come off as defensive. The families don't have to be sympathetic for the show to work. But "Black. White." is at its most satisfying when it remembers that there are shades of gray.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11567355/site/newsweek
So I guess this is going to be all about just how racist whitey still is when they don't realize they are being observed(yeah right). I wonder if this "reality show" will present a picture of blacks as they truly are and with all of their "racism" hanging out?
At least she's got company. "Black. White." is a biracial family affair: the Wurgels (Rose; her mother, Carmen, and Carmen's boyfriend, Bruno) and the African-American Sparkses (Nick and parents, Brian and Renee) spent six weeks living together and trading races. It's like two shows in one—"Extreme Makeover" meets "The Real World." At first, it looks as if the make-over part is going to be more interesting. The physical transformations (created by the makeup team from "Big Momma's House") are stunning, and utterly convincing. When Bruno and Carmen, in blackface, go to an all-white country and Western dance, she can't get a cup of coffee without a credit card. "I don't recall that happening to me as a white woman," Carmen says. "White" Nick attends a Beverly Hills etiquette class, where the kids waste no time tossing around the N word. They do, however, learn how to stand up straight.
But we expect the outside world to be harsh. Where "Black. White." really gets ugly is when the families return to their shared home. As always on these kinds of shows, casting is everything, and the Wurgels and Sparkses turn on each other almost immediately. To the degree he'll admit that racism exists, Bruno says black folks should just get over it, which doesn't exactly sit well with the Sparkses. At one point, Carmen jokingly calls Renee a "bitch"—she thinks it's a hip-hop term of endearment. Renee begs to differ. In fact, she differs so fiercely, she's soon got Carmen in tears. There are more tears per hour of "Black. White." than in any installment of "The Bachelor."
"Black. White." can be fascinating, but it's a reality show, so at times it feels phony around the edges. The producers (who include Ice Cube and "War Room" documentarian R. J. Cutler) tend to put the families in racially charged environments—an all-white bar, the poetry slam—selected for maximum conflict. The families have their flaws, too. The Wurgels obviously want to experience African-American life. When they do or say something offensive, it's out of naivete or ignorance, but never indifference. The Sparkses are much less interested in finding out how the other half lives than they are in teaching the Wurgels about the evils of racism. They sound strident, while the Wurgels come off as defensive. The families don't have to be sympathetic for the show to work. But "Black. White." is at its most satisfying when it remembers that there are shades of gray.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11567355/site/newsweek
So I guess this is going to be all about just how racist whitey still is when they don't realize they are being observed(yeah right). I wonder if this "reality show" will present a picture of blacks as they truly are and with all of their "racism" hanging out?