Comedian Tone-X Honored at Celebrity Roast

By Alexzenia Davis

Tone-X has been tickling Charlotte’s funny bone for quite some time. But on Monday, August 3, it was the comedian’s turn to laugh as the spotlight turned on him in a very special way.

Anthony Belser, a radio personality on Charlotte’s Power 98 WPEG and host of Tuesday night’s Tone-X & Friends Comedy Show, has never shied away from his opportunity to shine. His resume boasts of spots on Russell Simmons “Def Comedy Jam”, BET’s Comic View, and a feature on Diddy’s “The Bad Boys of Comedy”. He is an announcer for the Charlotte Bobcats and recently embarked on a three state tour with Mo’Nique; branding his name on a more wide scale level.

So naturally, it was time to roast him.

The surprise event, organized by Y Square Management and Swagger TV, took place at Apostrophe Lounge—an intimate spot located on the south side of Charlotte. On this particular night, the normally upscale venue was even more star studded as some of the city’s finest walked the red carpet in honor of “Uncle Tone”.

Before Tone’s arrival, guests were treated to performances by Y Square Management artists Quills and Ida Divine. DJ Skills manned the booth, keeping everyone’s energy on high.

The limo arrived soon after toting a well groomed Tone-X, and was escorted by managers—wife, Yolanda Belser and business partner Kimberly Edmonds. Photographers swarmed to take pictures of the guest of honor and Power 98’s Janine Davis pulled him aside for an interview where he admitted he had no idea what was in store for him.

As the doors opened, Jay-Z’s Encore blared through the sound system and at least 150 guests cheered him on as he took his seat center stage. Bluz, host of the event, kicked off the roasting session. Other roasters included fellow Power 98 personalities Janine “JD” Davis and No Limit Larry, local comedian, Neecie, and Tone X & Friends co-host, Chris “Funnyman” Robinson. Stacey Blackman of Q92 took to the DJ booth later in the evening.

Also in attendance were media representatives from several publications including Metro Proponent News, Creative Loafing, QCity Metro, and Craig Martin from South Coast Marketing. Present were Charlotte Bobcat’s announcer Pat Doughty and host Caroline Renfro, celebrity stylist Sparkles, and make-up artist Fatima B. VP of Radio One, and arguably one of the most influential African Americans in radio, Wayne K Brown made an appearance. Charles Woodyard, CEO of the Charlotte Housing Authority and Jameka Whitten of NABEFEME also came out to lend support.

It proved to be an emotional night; one full of good humor and well deserved appreciation. It was a night that reminded everyone that it is important to make the time to recognize people in the midst of their goodness; a reminder that good people are like good jokes—they’re to be applauded in the moment and they stick with you for a lifetime.

Live Review: Tone-X & Friends

By Alexzenia Davis

The Deal: Live comedy show hosted by radio personality Tone-X and Chris “Funnyman” Robinson (and sponsored by members of the Carolina Panthers) that takes place every Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Skandalos (5317 East Independence Blvd).

The Good: The Tone-X & Friends comedy show, which has featured well-known comedians such as Hope Flood and Michael Blackson, definitely lived up to the hype last night, pulling all the stops. The show kicked off with open mic, as amateur comedians were given their chance at QCity fame; one shot to rock or flop. And it didn’t stop with comedy — R&B artist Young Fletcher blew everyone away with his fresh sound and crisp performance. To top it off, headliner Dekeys kept the momentum as he moved the house with his crude but tear jerking humor — I literally laughed till I cried.

Tone-X & Friends’ affiliation with urban media network, Swagger TV, allows the show to stream live — nationally and internationally. And thanks to the network’s accessibility to major artists, the show was able to pull off the biggest surprise of the night: a performance by Sean Paul! As if the crowd wasn’t live enough … Trust me, you’ve never seen a show like this before.

The Bad: Anticipate a large crowd and plan to arrive early. Ladies, if your stilettos are just for show, then you might want to make an appearance before they bring out the “standing room only” sign.

The Verdict: Food, drinks, laughs … what more could you ask for? If you don’t mind raw humor and long lines — you should definitely check out this show. ($15 goes a long way, huh?)

In The MeanTime: Lost

I was in the car with one of my good friends on my way to work when I realized I left one of my belongings at my internship. Thankfully, he agreed to swing by the building with me so that I could pick it up. Luckily, I was able to retrieve it and we were then back on the road. Turned around and not to mention late, we searched for the closest entrance to the main highway.

"I found a shortcut one time," he said explaining the new route. "I was trying to find this store and this guy gave me bad directions. But I ended up on Independence."

I laughed, "I didn't know you could get to Independence that way."

"You can learn a lot from being lost," he said.

Of course, I've heard that before. But it's still awesome to hear something like that reiterated. Lately, things have been falling into place for me. A wave of good opportunity thrust upon me. This is great and very much a blessing, but it makes the aspects of my life that are out of place seem all the more apparent. So now I ask this:

Are you supposed to feel confident in every move you make in life? Is it all supposed to be planned out to the 'T'? Or is that when the biggest disappointments occur? When you expect too much... or when you leave no room for error. Are you supposed to continue down a path because you see potential greatness but a blurry future? Do you separate yourself from something that you may feel needs work? Or do you stick it out for the long haul with the faith that people can change, grow, and ultimately better your life? At what age can you begin to expect more, requiring people to respect your standards without having to hear 'Be grateful, you're young, accept it"? If you don't trust anybody, does that mean you don't trust yourself? If you have to be sneaky-- for a good cause or bad cause-- is it worth it? Do evil people exist? Or do people just do evil things? How much can you let people get away with before you are technically allowed to give up on them? Is lack of religion a valid excuse for why some people treat others poorly? If we don't share the same religion, do we not have to respect each other? Is it fair to say that some people share their sob stories so that people can excuse their behavior? I'm not Jesus... do I still have to turn the other cheek? Do I have to fall for others who 'know not what they do'?

If being lost aides you on the everlasting mission of greater understanding, why would I want to be found? I'm not content with not knowing, but sometimes the thrill of the journey is more exhilarating than the journey itself. Can any of my questions ever really be answered? Will you ever be able to identify with my reality?

In the meantime- "I'm not moving" Check out The Man Who Can't Be Moved by The Script.

In the MeanTime: MTV Awards—What The *!

I seriously watched the 2009 MTV Awards with a ‘WTF’ look plastered on my face. Like WTF Kristen Stewart, why are you dropping your award? WTF is up with Ben Stiller’s Generation Award presentation? And WHY-TF is Sasha Cohen landing on my man!

I must admit… the laughs came, but in retrospect (like a 5 seconds after I laughed, delayed reaction type retrospect) I felt really bad. Are the MTV Awards really turning into that much of a joke? Or did I always just take them waaaayyy too seriously? I mean, I’d like to think I didn’t take them that seriously. But there’s a limit to the jokey-ness, you know? Like… how can you laugh when your celebrity husband is being forced to simulate a ‘69’? Okay, so maybe you didn’t look at it that way, but I certainly did.

Serious moment: Eminem has been trying to prove his whole career that he deserves to be taken seriously so that was real trifling you guys. And poor Ben Stiller, I think he was really taking the award seriously. Clearly Kiefer Sutherland had his own agenda and Zac Efron probably just got paid off. Was that even Conan’s voice? And WTF was wrong with Kristen Stewart?

Clearly it's going to take me a moment to comprehend this one.

But in the meantime- I guess I need to go watch Twilight since it swept everything. Miley Cyrus sounded like a country drunk. And I wonder if Sasha Cohen even bathed- although his bottom did look spectacularly clean.

Poetry Break: Driving Me to Drink

By Alexzenia Davis



One of my favorites!

IN OUR LIFETIME

By Alexzenia Davis

November 2008

It is one for the books! The history books! Students in JCSU’s Union erupted in celebration as the 44th and FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT was announced: Barack Obama!

The slogan of choice, “My president is black!” was intertwined with screams and tears as CNN called the election just after 11 PM.

It had been a long road for many Smithites, most of whom were first time voters. With the weight of possibility riding on their shoulders, this election called for a massive level of participation. The voter registration drives, phone banks, canvases, and workshops were an active part of both campus and community life for just over a year. The results were exactly what the Democratic Party and most Smithites were hoping for.

November 4th at JCSU did not fall short of political excitement. Just around 3 PM, the JCSU Drumline marched to the block to deliver a powerhouse performance; a pre-celebratory boost if you will. As students, faculty, staff, and guests gathered around to observe, an odd emotion could be sensed. There was a special vibe on campus—one that was light-hearted, positive, nervous, and proud.

The 2008 Watch the Vote Party kicked off the day. The event, set up by Rushmore Drive and NS News TV in conjunction with the Communication Arts Department, featured a live DJ, food, giveaways, and up-to-the-minute election coverage. Students took part in dance battles, election panels, and surveyed the various booths that were set up around the room. Smithites were everywhere: filming, being recruited as impromptu hosts, and discussing the most pertinent issues of the times. Later on, the jazz band performed in Biddle as event organizers were treated to an intimate reception.

But it was the evening that everyone was waiting for. It was the race to 270. It was the moment when we would all find out whether our votes, time, effort, and prayers were enough.

Herbert “Mr. G” Gidney and alumni Struthers Johnson sat side by side in the rotunda as approximately 30 students stared anxiously at the big screen. I asked Gidney if he was excited as the Electoral College marked Obama at 207 and McCain at 138.

“I won’t be excited until that number reaches 270,” he said honestly, “I’ve been voting since before you guys were born… I’ve been watching elections like this before you guys were even born. When I was in college I never thought I would see this moment. I’m not even talking about him winning. I mean all of this.”

He was talking about the fact that he never thought he would see the day when a black person would even have a chance to win office. I asked if I he would allow me to take a picture of his reaction when the results were finalized.

“I will be outside taking a moment to myself,” Gidney said.

“[This is] very real. I saw [John F.] Kennedy get shot. I saw Bobby get shot. This feels very real to me. I’ve seen a lot of Charlotte. I’ve gotten slapped for drinking out of the white folk’s water fountain when I was three years old,” said Johnson, a 1972 graduate.

“This is just the start of a change in this country. Never before have [we had] a diverse [group] of people come together for a common goal—to get rid of the republicans,” Johnson said. “Black, white, Hispanic, and Chinese... Everyone’s been saying what the republicans have been doing to us. There needs to be change. It’s like diving-- either you’re going to drown or get up and keep swimming.”

McCain’s rankings shot up to 141 and students anxiously awaited the results from California. As CNN’s poll tracker counted down, students chimed in—New Years in November.

3, 2, 1… “Obama elected president”.

There was a slight hesitation as we all realized what had just happened. A few moments prior we were waiting for California’s votes to be accounted for. We were now hit with the realization that we had actually witnessed what will probably be the most historic moment in our lifetime.

Everyone ran to the television screen, ecstatic and emotional. I looked at Johnson he gave me two thumbs up, smiling from ear to ear. It had been a collective effort and it was an inherent victory. For those who really understood the significance, it was a deeply rooted reward for African Americans in this country. It was the moment of truth and it was the beginning of a new day of work, labor, and progress.

It was the coming of a black president as witnessed on an HBCU campus… and it was amazing!

Sidebar: --Mini-Man--

So, I don’t know how to be politically correct in a situation like this. But since I didn’t ask to be in this predicament I say F it. I have a midget stalker. Right now it’s confined to MySpace, thank God in Heaven. But it’s really concerning. Cyber-obsession is a serious matter and trust me the freak-factor is severely doubled when a midget wants to be your lover. I won’t give away his whole MySpace name because that is beyond mean, but I’ll give you a part of it: “(his hometown)’s Finest Midget”. And I’m not saying that little people can’t be easy on the eyes but believe me when I tell you that middle adjective is an overstatement. So far I’ve received six messages from him all detailing certain things we have in common such as the fact that we are both single and ‘pices’ and he asked the very direct question: “kood i chage that single part…” …Now you’d think if you’re going to be a midget that you’d make up for it in the spelling department. And as if this all wasn’t enough to deal with in and of itself, the boy/man has the nerve to take full body half naked pictures so he’s all squeezed up in the frame looking like a 4 year old with one abnormally sized muscle. And what little people have to understand is that although they may not take up that much space in real life, their bandwidth usage and HTML consume just as much time and space as the rest of ours. So imagine my nauseating surprise. Now, I don’t want anybody to get the wrong impression or think that I don’t like midgets, little people, or dwarves. They’re still people. I mean, I’m damn near a midget myself if you must get technical. But damn, can I at least get a stalker 5 feet and over?