I’m way too young to be expecting children in the near future. However, I do enjoy a good laugh and the movie posters alone were captivating. What To Expect When You’re Expecting is a film adaptation of the 1984 bestseller of the same title. The self-help pregnancy book has been a popular go-to guide for expectant parents for decades (my mother even read it when I was inside her tummy 21 years ago!).

Fortunately, the movie is not a boring documentary on the prenatal process, but instead a fictional tale that follows the lives of five couples on the cusp of parenthood. Also featured is “The Dude Group,” a clique of dedicated, though often clumsy, fathers.  Set in Atlanta, the storylines of each couple are loosely intertwined from conception to birth. Jules (Cameron Diaz) and Evan (Glee’s Matthew Morrison) star as a fitness guru and professional dancer that discover their unplanned fate on live television during a celebrity dance show. Holly (Jennifer Lopez) and Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) are a couple incapable of conceiving that have turned to adoption. Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) is a baby store owner and author, the ironically perfect mom that has struggled to have children with her husband Gary, played by Ben Falcone, a dentist with daddy issues. The overly competitive, former star NASCAR driver, Ramsey (Dennis Quaid), is responsible for Gary’s insecurities and is also expecting a child with his ditzy, young wife, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker). Chace Crawford and Anna Kendrick round out the cast as Marco and Rosie, two young foodtruck owners that find themselves facing conflict after a tryst in the park.  Chris Rock, Joe Manganiello, Amir Talai, Rob Huebel, and Thomas Lennon also appear as “The Dudes.”

What To Expect brought the occasional giggle, mostly from the subtle wit and frustrations of Elizabeth Banks’ character and Brooklyn Decker’s nonchalant pregnancy and role as a twenty-something stepmother to the middle-aged Gary. While “The Dudes Group” did provide some humor initially, the dads quickly lost steam and appeared more pathetic as the plot advanced. Knowing Matthew Morrison as the often spineless Will Schuester from Glee, it was interesting to see him play a character with a demanding personality. To be a comedy film, there were a few unsuspecting moments of sappiness that may have activated that pesky tear-inducing allergy I sometimes suffer from during movies.

Given the slow pace, lack of gut-busting punchlines, and predictable plot, I would give this movie an overall average rating. I did particularly enjoy many of the transitions and the fact that it was shot in Atlanta without using all of the exhausted scenery and skylines that we’ve seen in dozens of other films. It appears that the success of the book has generated lots of steam for the movie, so hopefully it won’t be a victim of the J. Lo movie curse. I don’t regret seeing it, however it falls into the category of slighty funny RomComs for me, which are movies that I typically wouldn’t pay to see but may enjoy on a quiet evening in if there was absolutely nothing else on television.

What To Expect When You’re Expecting was released on May 18th, 2012 and the trailer can be viewed HERE.

The present technology allows for many viewing alternatives: through mobile apps, network websites, DVR, OnDemand, box sets, Netflix, and Hulu, with new episodes often posted hours after their original air date. Viewers may find these options more convenient than live television, with the freedom to watch whenever and wherever on a variety of devices, with limited/no commercials. Also, waiting until the end of the season to watch a show from beginning to end can enhance the viewing experience, as the story unfolds like a movie instead of episodically (however, this may vary depending on the writing style and may be more effective for dramas rather than comedies). Of course, convenience isn’t always free and most of these luxuries come at a fee, though usually cheaper than the average monthly cable bill. There is also the slim chance that your favorite show may not be available online.

All of this competition doesn’t mean that the final nails are being tapped into live television’s coffin. There will always be an element of suspense in keeping up with a series week to week. And if you have the time, why wait to watch later? Social media has also been paramount in revolutionizing the live TV viewing experience. Besides being able to comment with friends (and strangers!) about what you’re watching as it’s happening, there are also direct channels of communication to interact with actors, writers, and producers that normal folks would not usually be exposed to. While most major networks can be picked up in HD over the air at no cost, cable will set you back a few Andy Jacksons a month, and you’ll have to sit through those pesky commercials.

I don’t think live TV will be going anywhere anytime soon, however networks will have to remain responsive to technology and get creative in making the television experience enjoyable, yet profitable, across all platforms. While I enjoy the convenience of being able to catch an episode online the next day if I missed it or just want to watch it again, I can’t imagine a world where that is the only option. The alternatives make excellent accessories to our existing live viewing experience, not replacements. The Internet may become more prominent in content delivery with the rise of Internet-enabled TVs and home media networking devices, but primetime will never disappear.

2011 was been an interesting year for black television, especially black sitcoms. We’ve had the highly anticipated return of The Game and a gaggle of new shows such as Let’s Stay Together, Single Ladies, Reed Between the Lines, and For Better or Worse sprout up. Additionally, reality shows centered around black celebrities such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Basketball Wives remain wildly popular.

While all of this sounds so exciting and dandy, let’s take a minute to look at the figures and dig down below the surface. According to an August 2011 Nielsen Report, African Americans watch the most television. Specifically, Black women watch 40% more television than any other demographic, yet remain one of the most grossly misrepresented and disrespected groups — regularly minimized to being ignorant, loud, poor baby mamas, gold diggers, or the classic “Mammy” figure. With this type of viewing power, one would assume the industry would make more of an effort to cater to their most tuned-in demographic, or that African Americans would use the strength of their numbers to demand better programming. Not to imply that there should be a “black out” on television to match the viewing audience, but at this point we should be on the brink of a potential media revolution.

Considering the boom of Black sitcoms during the 90s and early-00s, our current offerings are puzzling and may even be considered a regression. While UPN wasn’t an official “black” network, with it’s merge to the CW, a popular breeding ground and territory for black shows, new and old, was demolished. Over five years later and we still haven’t managed to pick up the slack from where UPN left off.

The Problem:

• Little/No Network Presence – in 2010 and 2011 cable networks such as BET and TVOne began to venture into creating scripted series; TBS was also the home of four black sitcoms, three produced by Tyler Perry. I won’t go into great detail about any of those shows since they’re fairly new; it’s a decent effort, there is much work to be done. However, the black presence in mainstream, primetime TV on major networks is missing completely. Currently, there are no shows featuring a primarily black cast on any major networks, though many extremely popular and successful black sitcoms (hello — The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince, Martin, Living Single, My Wife and Kids, anyone?!) have already blazed the trail. There number of black actors on primetime television has increased slightly, though they are often only in supporting roles. We shouldn’t be satisfied with just a “token.”

• Negative Celebrity Reality TV – one area where you will not find a shortage of African Americans on TV is on “celebrity” reality shows. Vh1, Bravo, BET, and other networks are basking in the popularity of these cash cows (and that’s not a jab at the stars of these shows). Unfortunately, these shows rarely depict African Americans in a positive light — full of flashy people famous for who they slept with, living above their means, and conducting themselves as anything but responsible adults. Though many people write this type of entertainment off as just a guilty pleasure and can distinguish the behavior of the so-called stars from “normal people/real life”, it does have an impact on the general population’s opinions of Black people. Of course, not all reality shows with black celebrities are like this, and it is refreshing to see loving families and relationships.

• Unrealistic Representation – minorities groups struggle enough just to exist on primetime television, and when they do, they often fall victim to being stereotyped. Are we sick of the indignant black lady, Hispanic maid/gardener, the token black guy, and nerdy Asian yet? On the flip side, what percentage of the audience can really relate to the upper-middle class lifestyle shown in most of these new sitcoms? There is a middle ground — just ask a good portion of the 99%. Metaphorically, we’re still watching The Evans (Good Times) versus The Huxtables (The Cosby Show).

• Dated Ratings System – Nielsen Media Research is still putting boxes to monitor TV viewing in a few thousand homes every year and sending out journals for people to record what they watch. The data from this sample audience is extrapolated to fit the population and BAM! — there are your ratings. That may have worked decades ago, but this is the 21st century. We have the technology to be more efficient and understand our audiences better. Maybe we’re still not there yet for the same reason we don’t have flying cars like The Jetsons promised. Jokes aside, ratings have the greatest priority in what gets put on air and what stays on air. Too many voices are going unheard and uncounted. Social media has undoubtedly been a positive for advertising and networks are finally catching on to Twitter and Facebook, but there is still plenty of room for growth in obtaining viewer feedback.

 Solution:

• Have a voice – you may not be a Real Housewife of South Central or a future star of Olympic Wives and cannot relate to that. If you’re interested in seeing more programming that more accurately reflects your demographic, speak up about it — there are thousands, possibly millions more that agree! Tweet, Facebook, email the networks and let them know and get your friends to do the same!

• Seek entertainment elsewhere – web series are hot right now and have been for a while. They’re inexpensive to produce and can reach a wide audience quickly with less limitations on content. The comedy Awkward Black Girl and drama Anacostia are excellent examples of how successful this model can be. Alas, there are always box sets of our old faves and Netflix when flipping channels fails.

Really, Noelle? Another one?

LiveJournal, ClassFace (StudyBreakers), Blogspot, Tumblr — I’ve had phases on them all. I’ve maintained personal blogs throughout most of my teenage years, and as I enter my twenties, I’d like to keep that up, but make an effort to separate my personal journals (aka rants and ventpools) from my other work. There were some gems sprinkled in my This Side of the Universe blog, however there are far too many embarrassing posts from an angsty teenage era to ever consider referencing back there or restarting that blog.

I intend for this blog to be different from the others I’ve had — not much about me in particular, more so just about my thoughts about various happenings in the world, new releases, or topics that I wish to expound upon beyond the realms of my noggin.

Unlike my other blogs, my goal is not to develop an audience. If at some point I attract a consistent reader-base, wonderful! However, this time around I refuse to censor myself because I know who’s watching and I won’t be doing much promotion for this blog. I’m really excited about this though! It’s like my little secret (cue Passion Pit’s song of the same name).

Cheers to new blogging endeavors!