My Top 10 Most Viewed Posts vs. My Top 10 Favorite Posts : MYFAVORITES

Hello All.

#Confession , I have been thinking lately about what I plan to do with this blog. There were four ideas that I had, but I couldn’t find the energy or patience to actually post them. Being honest, the lack of views on my blog discourages me from giving my all to the posts because it seems like a waste after it all. I enjoy writing, but if my writing doesn’t really reach people than I might as well just journal to myself, right. Having said all of that, I’ve been surprised over the past three years which posts got the most views, and THAT’s what this post is all about.

It’s almost like the Billboard Hot 100, where you might like a certain number of songs listed, but the list would be totally different if they were all of your favorites. I’m going to show you my Top 10 Most Viewed posts, and than I will list my personal favorite posts. Should be interesting right!?

 

MOST VIEWED POSTS

10. My Top 10 Songs of the Week “Dick In Yo Face” : MYFAVORITES

Nicki Minaj’s “Come on a Cone” ranked on my Most Viewed Top 10 List

354 views

Back in 2012, I decided to introduce a weekly Top 10 List. It was short lived, but this particular week was the most popular. And I can only guess that it has to do with the title, a portion of Nicki Minaj’s “Come on a Cone” (the #9 song for the week).

 

9. The Billboard… errr Grammy Nominations say “VIVA LA MAINSTREAM!!” : IMO

415 views

It’s funny that this is my most viewed Grammy post, because as you’ll read in the first paragraph I totally didn’t give a crap that year. I eventually built up enough energy to write a very cynical take on the Grammy’s trending from honoring talent to honoring record sales.

 

8. “Looking” for Diversity? You won’t find it on HBO’s upcoming show : IMO

Frankie J. Alvarez, Jonathan Groff and Murray Bartlett lead the cast of HBO’s “Looking”.

471 views

Though I did grow to like HBO’s series “Looking” (as evidenced in not one, but two additional posts), it still bothers me that so many networks and Hollywood studios bombard viewers with white actors for fear they will lose profits if they *gasp represent what America actually looks like. I was actually really proud of this article and happy that it got a good number of views.

 

7. The Weeknd vs The-Dream : MIXTAPEREVIEW

488 views

This was a total spur of the moment post, and I’m surprised at all the comments and views it got. At the time, The Weeknd was HIGHLY buzzed about and I couldn’t figure out why. Anyway I won’t get into my feelings about the high pitched crooner, just read it.

 

6. Top 10 Madonna Videos : MYFAVORITES

563 views

It was #MDNA Week on my blog, and I felt this Top 10 list was mandatory since Madonna is such an amazing visual artist. Being a huge fan, it was a little hard to sort the list but overall it was fun to do. Looking back, I still stand by my rankings 100% and apparently the fans did too.

 

5. Top 10 Janet Jackson Videos : MYFAVORITES

Janet Jackson’s Classic “If” Video ranks on MY FAVORITE list.

604 views

Every few weeks I check my stats, and for the past year or so this Top 10 list has almost always been in the Top. Like the Madonna list, I’m still proud of my rankings and stand by them, but more importantly this list also reminds me how Great Janet was in her day.

 

4. Top 10 BEST and WORST Comic Book Movies : MYFAVORITES

621 views

This was a project that I spent lots of time thinking about, drafting and ranking. I picked the weekend that “The Avengers” was released to theaters in 2012 to post it, and I’m really proud of what I came up with. This actually became a popular post, and the feedback I got was that most people agreed with my choices which felt good. I’ll probably update the list when the next “Avengers” flick comes out.

 

3. Top 25 Kanye West Productions : MYFAVORITES

734 views

So not only was this a tad difficult to rank, but those small little YouTube bars were a bitch to code. However I’m very pleased this is among my highest viewed posts because I do feel it’s a good representation of Kanye’s career as a Producer and I never feel like I left anything great out.

 

2. Discography Review : Prince (1978-1982)

1,051 views

This is the only post on this list that came from my original Blogger blog. I need to do more of these Discography Reviews because I feel that it not only educates readers who may not know much about Prince or other artists, but I also feel like these really flex my writing muscle. Especially when it comes to Prince, whose music and genius is hard to describe.

 

1. The “Watch the Throne” Track by Track Review : ALBUMREVIEW

Kanye West and Jay-Z and the picture that lead to the most views on my blog.

1,769 views

Gotta say that I’m a little shocked that this is the Top post on my blog. Shocked because other posts from the “Watch the Throne” week didn’t fair as well, my other “Track by Track” reviews didn’t either. My theory as to why this did so well was the picture I attached, because sometimes pics can drive people to your blogs. Either way, it’s a good post and happy that people enjoyed it for whatever reason.

 

 

MY FAVORITE POSTS

10. Winter is (or should be) Music Discovery Season : IMO

15 views

One thing I love about the Internet age is the fact that pretty much everything ever recorded is available. That is what this post was based on, the idea that instead of just twiddling our thumbs for the latest new releases we should go back and discover the music that came before us. I love the idea behind this post, and even though it didn’t get lots of views I hope it inspired the few people that did read it.

 

9. Year in Music, 2011

222 views

This was easily my finest attempt at a Year In Music post. They are always difficult, not only because of the content and figuring out who and what should be included, but the visual aspect of these Year End posts is tricky. Mainly, I love the way this post LOOKS above all else. I love how everything is really streamlined and everything is the appropriate size. It’s just a good looking post, and I feel like my choices were pretty accurate to what I was enjoying that year (which in hindsight was a pretty decent year for music).

 

8. Caught Up in the Webseries : Black Actress, Awkward Black Girl, The Guild, The Outs : WEBSERIESREVIEWS

Issa Rae, writer producer and titular character of hilarious webseries “Awkward Black Girl”.

43 views

As you will read in the actual post, I got pretty addicted to YouTube and the world of the Webseries while I was living in New York City. In a lot of ways, these Webseries that I spoke on have lots of qualities that make them better than most mainstream Television and I wanted to shine a light on the Andrea Lewis’ and Adam Goldman’s of the world.

 

7. MTV VMA’s, The Most Meaningless and Most Important Award Show : IMO

213 views

(Yikes, my pictures on this post have gone away) This was a fun post to write because it talks about the confusing duality of the MTV Video Music Awards – which are great and horrible at the same time. This turned into a way more interesting post than I had originally intended and I think it makes for a great read because of it.

 

6. A Year in the Indies, an Indie Music Report : IMO 

tUnE-yArDs are among MY FAVORITE Indie acts.

277 views

I guess I thought I got cool the months leading up to this post about the Indie Music landscape, I was really happy to share my favorite finds that not too many mainstreamers were aware of. Sure I’m not HIPSTERUNOFF or Pitchfork, but I think I did a good job of noting and describing my favorite underground artists and their unique music. More than all of that, I was so pleased to find that the title “A Year in the Indies” hadn’t been used anywhere else on the net (or at least anywhere in my Google search of the title).

 

5. Career Advice : Beyonce & Christina Aguilera (TIE)

Beyonce 178 views, Christina 177 views

It’s fun to play A&R Rep from my cubicle at work. Knowing that my ideas had a small chance of being heard by the powers that be, I found this Career Advice idea to be a fun and creative one. It started out with Beyonce after she gave birth to her daughter Blue Ivy, I matched ‘Yonce up with the likes of James Blake and How to Dress Well. For Christina, I flirted with the idea of her going more Disco/Funk/Soul with Nile Rodgers and Toro Y Moi. I should do more of these Career Advice posts (I’m thinking of doing one for Usher), these two will set the pace and I actually always enjoy reading these.

 

4. #FICTIONFriday “Through the 60’s, The Hidden Revolver” : CREATIVEWRITING

4 views

Officially, my #FICTIONFriday idea was a major flop. I’m a little sad about it because I really wanted some feedback on my creative writing projects, alas there’s no sense in complaining about it. And instead of bombarding this list with all of the Fiction posts, I am picking this one because it has become one of my writing projects that is near and dear to my heart. It’s about a high school kid in the late 60’s who is ashamed of loving The Beatles, and his attempts to hid his new purchase from friends and family. I love it! I was hoping more people would, but at the end of the day I can only be proud of myself for even trying the very ambitious #FICTIONFriday project.

 

3. Top 10 BEST and WORST Comic Book Movies : MYFAVORITES

2. “Looking” for Diversity? You won’t find it on HBO’s upcoming show : IMO

These two were covered above, and clearly I was pleased that they got as many views as they did. A combination of hard work, creativity and also a bit of urgency to get my thoughts and opinions out there.

 

1. Oh The Reality!! How Fights, Drunks and Sluts have ruined Reality Shows : IMO

A “Jersey Shore” fight, and an example of how low Reality Shows have stooped.

256 views

For one, I LOVE this title. Two, I love the content and how I was able to give a History of the Reality Show and just exactly the factors that have changed them. Three, I was happy I was able to illustrate how these shows are affecting culture. This was a really well rounded article in my opinion, and I am always happy when I’m able to clearly put down in words all of the random thoughts in my head.

 

So that’s It. I don’t want to just abandon this blog, but I have to get focused on other things (school and career wise) and I might just take a hiatus on the blog. On the other hand, I’m thinking of coming up with more simple and thus more frequent blog posts in the forms of Top 10 lists and things like that. I’m still feeling it out, but I will keep you all posted.

It’s just interesting to see which posts struck a chord and which didn’t, and trying to find a pattern of what might work in the future.

And a BIG THANK YOU to all the supporters and readers of this blog, those that have liked and shared, and those that have just enjoyed what I contribute to the Blogosphere.

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Caught Up in the Webseries : Black Actress, Awkward Black Girl, The Guild, The Outs : Webseries Reviews

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Adam Goldman, Adam Goldman The Outs, Andrea Lewis, Andrea Lewis Black Actress, Awkward Black Girl, Awkward Black Girl Review, Awkward Black Girl Webseries, Awkward Black Girl Webseries Review, Black Actress, Black Actress Webseries, Felicia Day The Guild, Hunter Canning, Issa Rae, Issa Rae Awkward Black Girl, The Guild, The Guild Review, The Guild Webseries, The Guild Webseries Review, The Outs, The Outs Review, The Outs Webseries, The Outs Webseries Review

Not having a TV might be a good thing afterall. Since I’ve moved to the East Coast and become a true “wanderer”, I haven’t been able to keep up with my Guilty Pleasures of the Tube and have been looking elsewhere for my entertainment. Luckily there’s plenty of great writing, acting and laughs on the internet. I’ve gotten into the various webseries that are offered on places like Vimeo and Youtube, and not surprisingly they offer something that TV networks don’t. Diversity, Different Perspectives, and Realism. There are four series that I’ve learned to love over the past few months that all offer something unique and offer a look into a lifestyle that is generally not caught in the mainstream media. Here’s a look at the ones that have been keeping me entertained.

Andrea Lewis (right) stars and writes “Black Actress” currently in it’s first season on YouTube

Currently on it’s First Season, Andrea Lewis stars and writes “Black Actress” a series about Kori who is getting back into the acting field after a brief hiatus. She auditions and takes acting classes with a bit of resentment towards her ex-boyfriend who has “Made It” in Hollywood and she’s fighting to make a name for herself. The show chronicles the headache’s and hilarity of going through countless auditions and the crazy, arrogant and clueless people one might encounter on those calls.

It also paints the picture of a beautiful and quirky woman filled with insecurities and doubt but trying to mask it with a false-confidence that eventually is broken down bit by bit by a potential love interest Romeo. The show does a great job of highlighting what it takes to even be considered as a Black Actress these days, but is also really funny with it’s kooky supporting characters like the hilarious best friend Izzy and the strange and ratchet encounters at auditions and in Acting classes. As an added bonus, familiar Black Actresses like Vanessa Bell Calloway and Tatyana Ali book end the episodes with their pearls of knowledge about being a Black Actress in an industry that doesn’t always value them.

“Black Actress” just aired their 4th episode Tuesday so it’s not too late to get all caught up.

Issa Rae stars as J in “Awkward Black Girl”

“Black Actress” can be seen on YouTube via Issa Rae’s channel, and Issa Rae is the genius creator/writer behind one of the funniest web series I’ve caught “Awkward Black Girl“. The series (which will become a show on HBO) is hilarious because it points out all the awkward and self-conscious tendencies people have but don’t talk about. Like the feeling of being alone at a party and not knowing what to do, or seeing someone in your office hallway more than once and not knowing how to interact that third and fourth time. Through all of J’s awkwardness, and having to deal with her idiot staff at her meaningless sales job, a nice love triangle blooms which keeps the show intriguing.

More than the love story, the series is Real. It picks up on things that happen in real life to real people and doesn’t sugar-coat anything for any specific audience. In two seasons, I personally have related so much and have found similarities in characters on the show in characters I have worked with or known. The series has a multi-cultural cast which shows that even though “Black” is in the title, the “Awkward” part stands for any race or background. “Awkward Black Girl” is a show that is very much needed, with J being a main character that is not often seen on mainstream TV we get to see that in our differences we all have the same types of insecurities and awkwardness in us. We are so happy for Issa Rae and can’t wait to see what the series will become on HBO.

Felicia Day (center) leads ‘The Guild’ as Codex

Another hilarious webseries that breaks down stereotypes is “The Guild“, a show set out to prove online gamers come in all shapes, sizes, ethnic backgrounds, and varying degrees of insanity. The series, which started in 2007 and completed 6 seasons this past year, centers around Codex (played by the creator and writer Felicia Day) a woman who uses the “World of Warcraft”-type game as an outlet to get over her recent emotional breakdown. She ends up meeting up with, and getting closer to, her local ‘Guild’ members which range from the delusional stay at home mom Clara, the overly-frugal and deranged Guild leader Vork, and the newly independent and proud stalker Zaboo who clings to Codex to the point where she develops feelings for him.

This series is great, for one, each episode is really short so watching all 6 seasons should only take a few hours. It does show that gamers like this, while invested almost obsessively with the game, do have different personalities and different lives and aspirations, and each character here is funny in their own way. It’s also great to watch all 6 seasons to see not only how the relationship between the characters grow, but also how the budget increased and we get to be more IN the game as viewers. “The Guild” is great because it gives us a peak into the lives of people we might write off as nerds, and with the show we see that they are more than that. Well sometimes.

Notice all of the aforementioned series are created and written by women, another thing that makes entertainment on the web that much more exciting, it’s giving opportunities and voices to and from people that seldom get a chance in the Mainstream machine.

Hunter Canning and Adam Goldman lead “The Outs”

The final series is by and about Gay men, “The Outs” is written, created and starring Adam Goldman and it follows a former couple a few months after their break up. Goldman stars as Mitchell, who is presented as the happy-go-lucky guy who is so quirky and funny you want to love him. Meanwhile Jack (played expertly by Hunter Canning) is the ex-boyfriend, introduced as a brooding almost self-destructive and gloomy guy who you want to just slap and say in your best Cher voice “Snap Out of It!!”. The series follows the two as they start to form lives without each other. One finds an uncomfortable peace in a new friend, and the other slowly learns to see his old friends for what they really are.

The series starts out and the viewer might think they know where it’s headed, some of the characters seem plucked from Network Sitcoms, but the wonderful writing pulls back those superficial layers and exposes the reality of relationships in general and living in the Gay world. And in the end (slight spoiler alert), the viewer is happy for the characters and stands with them in their uncertain futures. The series is funny, dramatic, real and quirky just like real life. I personally felt the writing was amazing, it revealed information in such a genius way, and it also kept the viewer intrigued and entertained. Hopefully “The Outs” comes back with a second season.

So there you have it, the webseries I have been caught up in the past two months. “Black Actress” is keeping me occupied right now, but I’m sure if I did a good search I could find a bunch of others. It’s just great that it has become so easy for these types of shows to be put out publicly, because like I’ve said before, we need diversity on the screens. Not just racial diversity, but we need to see different perspectives of the country just to show us that we have a lot of the same similarities even with all of our differences.