Gabby Sidebe: SNL Should hire Her

Just watched my DVR of SNL and I think they are spoofing me! But WTF, I know I am funny. My students think I’m funny as hell.

But it’s not about me. Just kidding. It’s about Sidebe and rocking SNL last night. One of the funniest shows since Tina Fey left. And you know Heloise knows or knew somebody who used to be on SNL, Danitra Vance. A black woman who died of cancer was a Satsangi and her grandfather was highly respected. Got to look up her name, just did. But she was tall, dark, thin and she had a movie about the devil about to come out or go into production when her cancer spread and she died.

Anyway, she was not a pretty woman. In fact I recall one conversation we had at a restaurant after Satsang and she said to me that she had never been little and pretty (like me) and that surprised me. She lived in NYC and that’s why I did not have much contact with her except before she died. Did not go to funeral. 

Here’s the scoop on the woman I knew, only one of  three that SNL has hired. From 1985-1986, Danitra Vance was on SNL. Before her Yvonne Hudson became the first black woman to become a cast member or featured player. Hudson joined up in 1980 and lasted a year. SNL deals in terms like “featured player” or “featured extra” – considering things like screen time and salary I imagine. Whatever their official status, this fact remains:

But hell they are reading The Trough and my articles and getting beaucoup ideas for their shows. I know.

More later

Wilbert Rideau: Released and writing (new book)

Sunday Morning finally did a story on somebody who was not a Jew. Yes, they did a story on a Creole man who is well-known in the literary world. A white woman fought for his release and they have married. He did a nice interview and has written a memoir “In Place of Justice” and it sounds like a good read.

In case you missed his storyline: as a young black teen in depressed South in the 1950s he robbed a bank and took hostages and in a panic killed one of the women. He killed a white woman so you know he was going down. He got the death penalty. That was commuted to life. In addition while there he wrote, and wrote, and wrote and won, and won and won awards.

He spent a lot of time writing about the realities of prison life especially the men who get turned out as women and brutally raped. He escaped it because he walked out of death row and nobody messes with death row men

Here’s a link about him and his book. Can a black man get a fair chance in the prison system? I am going to read and review another book about how the prison system has become the new Jim Crow.