When I wrote my last post about the show “Oh! No she didn’t…Kimberly crossed the line on Real World Hollywood ep2“, I had no clue that I was stereotyping Brianna accurately as I joked how she should run with Kimberly’s prejudices. I knew Brianna got pregnant and presumably had an abortion at age 19, but I wasn’t expecting her addiction to meth and cocaine to surface this week. Plus, they keep dropping little bits about some assault charge she has (looks like there’s more to come on ep4), so we can throw in criminal minded, too. Oh, MTV, why do you keep forsaking thee? You’re killing my argument against Kimberly calling Brianna ghetto! In my hubby’s “expert” opinion, Brianna was acting ghetto by coming in and demanding that 2 people leave so her 2 “business” friends could come in. In hindsight, I have to say she did provoke the situation, BUT that still does not give Kim the right to tell Bri that she’s acting ghetto.
I continue to be conflicted here, people. This season is really outrageous and I don’t want to watch it as much as I do want to watch it. Like, I’d love to see Brianna develop and grow from this experience and begin to love herself enough to stop dressing like a hooker (interesting that no one has dared to say “hoe”…i guess even MTV draws a line somewhere…really, who actually says “hooker” anymore?), but I don’t know if that’s on MTV’s agenda.
Case and point, their “job” is taking improv comedy classes from Andy Dick’s most influential comedic teachers. Andy
Dick? Does that make this lady’s classes more credible? The same Andy Dick who helped hurl my current city of residence, Columbus, OH, on the celeb trash gossip talk map as he drooled and acted a fool in the gay nightclub Axis after a show? He’s not even funny to me.
Don’t get me wrong, improv is a good thing. I probably would find benefits in a class like that now just as a working professional. It’s the whole packaging that continues to make this season look like a circus and 2/3 of the black cast are the court jesters. You feel me? Stripper with drug addiction who dresses literally like a hooker who wants to be a singer, cocky black man who isolates himself from the rest of people feeding the social misfit status he’s quickly earning. Need I go on? Yes, Joey also has his anger and alcoholic past/present to combat, but somehow it doesn’t seem to sting as much as Brianna in particular.
I wish her well, but I hope she can handle working through some complicated issues under the lens of MTV. I just want to write her a prescription for some self esteem pills to make it all better for her.
I’m getting closer to not bothering to watch this season, but the weakness in me still prevails.
UPDATE 5/4/08: Found this article on philly.com about Brianna, her job as an exotic dancer (i keep saying stripper but this article reminded me that I could have said “exotic dancer”. it’s like calling somebody “handicapped”. bad Ifelicious! 😉 ), and her being on RW Hollywood. Check it: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillygossip/Local_strippersinger_on_MTVs_Real_World_Hollywood.html
Brianna & Kimberly both evolve into better people as the season goes on – there are learning pains on their part that are exposed by the show and editing.
Speaking with the production company and MTV the season has some dramatic twists but they seem to focus more on the men of the cast.
,MM Agency
@Michael Martin…I see you’re affiliated with representing Real World cast members so I expect you to say exactly what you did. If you actually read my posts about the show, you’ll also realize that this is not solely about Kimberly and Brianna’s interaction. This is modern day blaxploitation, and Brianna (as well as Greg…although he was selected by MTV’s online voters) in particular is MTV’s latest victim.
As I say in my post, I wish Brianna the best. She’s a beautiful young lady who’s had a hard way to go. Let’s just give some equal camera time to the wide spectra of African Americans. We are not just baby mamas, crackheads, welfare dependents, rhythmically gifted, sports excelling beings. We are also black women whose intellect extends beyond the arts and athletics and whose background does not only have roots in the hood. That’s reality.
After watching ep3 and seeing that Joey (?) and Bri both have (had) serious addictions, I immediately thought that MTV is taking a HUGE risk! It just does not look good. But apparently that show Gossip Girl (not a reality show) portrays similar struggles but for high schoolers. Hmmm… I’m not trying to be judgmental but, I’m not sure if a huge batch of TV with young addiction and “so-called” irresponsible and a dangerous behavior is a good idea. Where are the equally good positive shows, with struggles but an overall good lesson? Am I getting old? I’m just in my late 20s.
Provoked or not, if you watch some of the “Dailies” – in one of them Kimberly (whoever is the Southern Blonde chick) asks the brunette what people back in Arizona would think if she dated a black guy. She says something like ‘does that even happen there? what would your parents even say?’ All horrified.
She is absolutely racist and lame. I hope people are yelling at her in public.
Joey MUST be on steroids. I bet he gets kicked off of the show.
Brianna! I loved Brianna – she seemed to sweet and gently damaged…. Whhhhyyyyy