Living Single

The first season of Living Single is finally finally on DVD! I'm so excited, I already ordered it off Amazon. Hope you all are enjoying it too.

Also has anybody noticed how many random cast connections there are between this show and A Different World? I swear, I've counted like eight. There's Cree Summer who was Freddie on ADW as Summer the girl Overton dates right before he and Synclaire get together; Charnele Brown (Kim Reese) as Khadijah's friend who works at Flava and then wants to tattoo permanent makeup for a living; Jasmine Guy (Whitley Gilbert) played a psychologist that Khadijah's goes to see when she's way over-stressed; and Kadeem Harrison (Dwayne Wayne) is a hotshot reporter that tries to beat Kadijah out for the scoop on this fighter who pays off his opponents. Also the adorable, but pathetic Ivan Ennis is Bumper Robinson who played Dorian Haywood (the guy who wouldn't get with Jada Pinkett Smith's Lena unless they were married) I could go on and on .........

See how many you can count!

~ Smooches ~

"I laughed, I cried and when you opened that coffin, girl, I damn near died!" - Overton after seeing Synclaire perform in The Calling Hours or (as it was renamed) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Funeral...starring Synclaire James!

I really miss this show on Thursday nights. I first tuned in because I liked Queen Latifah but soon liked all the other characters, especially Maxine Shaw, Attorney at Law, and Kyle. The episode where they finally got together was a scream and the cliff-hanger for that season. I couldn't wait until the fall season began. I agree that the well-decorated apartments and designer duds were out of sync with the incomes of the characters, but it was fun. Also interesting about the characters in the context of their upscale lives were their eating habits. They were constantly noshing on high-fat snacks, never expressing concern about gaining weight. Imagine Monica in Friends being that carefree about food. In the end, these were humorous young people engaged in active social lives during the early days of their careers.

Great little sitcom that unfortunately was up against "Seinfeld" for a good portion of its run. FOX did not handle the exit of the series with any kind of finesse; in fact, it was done very sloppily, with the show being cancelled, and then brought back for a few poorly done episodes. Regine the golddigger had finally gotten engaged to a rich man, but her wedding was never shown. Her character was abruptly written out after that happened. Synclair and Overton had just about become non-entities after their characters were married. There was this preposterous storyline that had Max becoming pregnant courtesy of a sperm bank, then finding out that Kyle was the donor. Khadijah was just left hanging. A bad end for a funny show that deserved better.

Loved this show and it may have been the reason why I never watch Seinfeld when it was on its original time slot. I just started to watch the reruns every morning. I wake up at 6:00 AM and watch two episodes back to back. Is a nice way to start the day. I now appreciate how well produced it was and I am proud of everyone in that show. They all did a fantastic job. If you watch, you realize it goes beyond of race or color. You don't think they are African American. You just think they are good friends. They are all unique and I can't decide who is my favorite. You identify with the characters. They are not too pretty or neurotic. They are your own friends, neighbors and coworkers. The message was positive and it remains fresh.

I just visited a Yahoo site which provided updates for actors who starred in the Facts of Life. Relative to Kim Fields, the site noted that she joined Living Single in 1993. They identified Living Single as "Fox's African-American ANSWER (emphasis mine) to Friends." How could Living Single be an answer to Friends when it preceded Friends by one year? If anything Friends was a rip-off of Living Single. Moreover, Living Single was much better quality show. The characters were well-developed, believable, and provided with better character story arcs. With that said, most people would likely describe Friends as groundbreaking and Living Single as derivative. Oh well, once again those in power get to shape myth into reality.