What is the point of an idea?

The second most important lesson any of us can ever learn is that our minds are the playground where any and everything we want to happen can happen. I know that at one time, the people reading this wanted to be spacemen, princesses, firemen, and probably a few of you who wanted to be president. I'm sure that somewhere along the line, you told your ideas and your dreams to someone else, and they said something to the effect of, "That will never work." So in just four simple words, it's possible to crush an idea even before it's attempted. But this raises the bigger question, what is the point of an idea?

Ideas are a construct of our minds & often, the difference between its success or failure depends on if we use that idea or not. Nothing you use or buy has ever or will ever magically appear. The television you watch...started out as an idea, the computer you use...started out as an idea, and even the websites you visit were just ideas in a person's head until they decided to try them. The next big thing that everyone will want is an idea in someone's head right now.

Ideas need plans, and plans need ideas. It's a basic symbiotic relationship. You may have an idea that you decide to share with your friends and family. They may tell you that it's a great idea and you might even share it with people you meet on twitter or facebook. The setback for you now is that unless you come up with a plan of action, the only thing that you have is an idea. From here, there's one of two conclusions: either your idea is wasted and it profits you nothing, or someone else thinks of your idea or steals your idea and uses it. In the last scenario, you become one of the people who inevitably say, "Aww, I had thought of that. If only I had done something with it."

The last thing to bring up is what is the value of an idea? Every idea is both priceless to the person who thought of it, and worthless to everyone else until that idea has a physical breakthrough. So for those of you with ideas running through your heads now, I hope you start a plan for your idea so that you can make it a reality for the rest of us.

A Jazmine Cashmere is tempting, but a Lena Horne is timeless

A Jazmine Cashmere is tempting, but a Lena Horne is timeless
Being a man, I admit I am addicted to the visual
But there's something about style and grace that's more sensual
A woman's beauty may fade, but her soul is everlasting

Being a man, I admit I am addicted to the visual
But no matter how good she looks, at some point, she has to talk
A woman's beauty may fade, but her soul is everlasting
Some women have sexy parts, but a chosen few exude sexiness

No matter how good she looks, at some point, she has to talk
And the phenomenal women have brains behind that sexy walk
Some women have sexy parts, but a chosen few exude sexiness
The iceberg of your body is stunning, but show me what's underneath

The phenomenal women have brains behind that sexy walk
But there's something about style and grace that's more sensual
The iceberg of your body is stunning, but show me what's underneath
A Jazmine Cashmere is tempting, but a Lena Horne is timeless

Writer's note - If you haven't heard of Jazmine Cashmere or Lena Horne, google them! No, I'm not picking on Jazmine or anyone else because she is sexy. This poem is about going past the outer beauty and finding out what's underneath...the real sexiness is there.

Commercial break for...INSTA-BLACK!

What most of you don't realize is that all the funding that is required to run my blog is paid by my sponsor, Blammo Industries. With that being said, it's time for a commercial break. If you want a serious blog, try coming back next time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Blammo Industries, the same company that brought you the world famous mind meld cap, the hat that you can give to complete strangers and make them think, talk, and act just like you, is back with a brand new invention that's sure to please....INSTA BLACK!

Black people, are you tired of being harassed by the black police because they tell you that you're just "not Black enough"? Are there white people at your job that are more "down" with the brothers than you are? Do you get teased because you take the time to properly enunciate your words correctly or because you know what enunciate means? Are you tired of not being able to know the proper context in which to use "youknowwhatimsayin'" and are you mad that you STILL don't know how to make it rain because you don't party like a rock star? Then it's time for INSTA BLACK! What is INSTA BLACK? INSTA BLACK is a pill that if taken 3 times a day , in just 72 hours we guarantee that you will not only look blacker, but feel AND act blacker too! Don't just take our word for it though....

Hello, my name is Pernell Washington, and I'm a lawyer in the beautiful city of Baltimore. I graduated with a master's from a historically black university, I cheerfully give to the United Negro College Fund, and I am an active member of my local NAACP, yet in spite of my attempts to better my community, the black police tagged me as being too "White". So I tried INSTA BLACK and in just 3 days, my whole life has changed. My suits used to come from designer malls, but now I buy all of my outfits from Bishop Magic Don Juan's boutique and now my name is Big Things. Because you know when Big Things is popping, little things are stopping. I have a gang of bitches I call the Rainbow Coalition because if you want Black, White, Chinese, short or tall, Big Things has them all! Thank you for pimpifying me INSTA BLACK! Chuch!

Hi, my name is Carol Sutherland and I am sick and tired! I have a wonderful job as an engineer in what is considered a "man's" field. I drive a 2009 BMW 745 and I live in a beautiful 3 bedroom house that I've already paid for. I'm sick and tired because the brothers in my city are scared as hell of a successful Black woman that makes more than them. I see a lot of their tired asses chasing after ghetto hood rats so I decided to try INSTA BLACK. Now the same niggas that used to run from me, can't get enough of me. Now, I've got Tyrell, Darnell, Tyrone, and Micheal all blowing up my phone and paying my bills and you know what they have...nothing but hope. What they want, they can't have, but I take all that they have. Thank you INSTA BLACK!

Greetings my fellow Americans. My name is Barack Obama and I am your President. I always thought that if I stuck to the issues that concern us as a nation and hold fast to the truth, that would be enough for this nation, but the polls and the black police have shown me that I'm just not black enough. So I tried new INSTA BLACK and I decided that my name was given to me out of hatred for the color of my skin by the White man. So I have changed my name to Barack X. Salam Aleikum my brothers and sisters and thank you INSTA BLACK!

A sneak peek at Doc Rivers's pre-game Game 7 speech

It's only a game. You guys are a bunch of grown men so I know I don't need to say anything to motivate you especially since it's...just a game. But remember back in the regular season when the people that "know" basketball said that you were past your prime? Everybody said that we wouldn't make it to the finals again, let alone the playoffs. Was it "just a game" then? And so you fought, and you won until we made it to the playoffs...AGAIN! And then those same know-it-alls wanted to crown Cleveland as the 2010 champs before we even stepped on their court. Was game 4 of that series "just a game" when they had us down 2-1?! Every single one of you stepped up and you clawed and you pushed, until you won 3 straight!

Game 6 wasn't a game...game 6 was a testament to everything we hold near and dear on this Boston team. And even then when Orlando punched us in the mouth on our own floor...the critics came out. They wanted to say we had gone as far as we could...it wasn't "just a game" then. Orlando pushed hard, so we pushed harder and we stole their magic!

L.A. outgunned us in game 1 and half the nation cried out, "L.A. has already won the finals!". Kevin, Pau had the balls to call you soft...was it just a game for you then? Even after that, it only took 4 days for us to make every critic eat crow and every Laker fan crap their pants. L.A. went from "We know we're going to win" to "We hope". But then, we got punished Tuesday and we lost one of our fiercest warriors. So now, here we are with a black eye, busted lip, and a bruised ego. Is it still "just a game" for any of you?

Gentlemen, we have 48 minutes left of playing ball on t.v. together and then our season's over. Now I don't know what's going to happen after tonight, but I know that I'm not ready to lie down, give up, or quit and say "It's just a game." Perk isn't out because "it's just a game" and Kevin, if anything is possible, then this isn't a game. This is a moment in time where we define ourselves again not as great players, but as a great team! Don't worry about if you're on the floor or if you're on the bench, just worry that no matter where you are, you're pushing this team ahead. If you're on the bench, you better be the loudest player cheering on your brothers as they fight on the floor and if you're on the floor, you better be the hungriest player in Staples! It wasn't just a game when we started this year and it damn sure isn't a game now! Boston...this is our night and our time...WE WILL NOT BE DENIED!

The #1 show you haven't heard of(yet) - Front Page

I'll be short and sweet...this is the treatment of a television drama for which I already have the show bible and the pilot script for. The one thing that I'm working to get for it is the production company.

Front Page

A television treatment by Garrett Rogers

WGA registration #1418846

Downtown at The Chicago Post news building, the word of the day is pressure. There is the owner of the Post, Stephen A. Garrison, a wealthy billionaire who sometimes feels the pressure of trying to keep a newspaper solvent let alone lucrative in an internet based world. His editor-in-chief, Barbara Jacobs, is a stern, headstrong woman who feels the pressure from Stephen to make the paper successful and the pressure to maintain leadership over her staff without establishing a tyrannical approach, all the while feeling the self-inflicted pressure to accomplish her own personal goals.

Every person inside The Chicago Post building contributes to the success or failure of the newspaper and to that end, everyone feels the anxiety and pressure of working at a newspaper in their own different way. There’s the accountant, Dac Kien Trần, a man who prides himself on his impeccable knowledge of the financial sector all the while thinking himself faultless. Tara Fedorov, is the director of human resources and the first and usually last face that a potential Post employee sees. She is notorious for her abrasive demeanor and harsh mouth that many feel only masks past pain. Fernando Guzmán is a sports reporter and a sloven, tactless male chauvinist who isn’t really a sports fan and lacks the passion of one, but has a limitless knowledge of sports facts and is one of the Post’s best writers.

Craig Jennings is a clean cut and passionate man who seems too good to be true and is applying for a sports reporter position on the pilot of the show. The editorial writer, Anthony Pleasant, is an idealistic, liberal democrat who despises anyone who would claim to be a republican yet struggles not to make the paper his own personal soapbox. Mickey Hughes is a cartoonist for the paper and a man that everyone else would love to have a beer with. The only problem for Mickey is that he has a personal issue which he wrestles to come to terms with and has a hard time making any true social connection because of it.

The news reporters are an intelligent albeit occasionally egocentric lot. Ronald Paulsen has aspirations of being the next Walter Cronkite so he is constantly in search of the next big story which could help him launch his name into super stardom. He often attempts this feat regardless of who his exploits might offend or harm. Kristin Lawrence is a Rutgers educated reporter who is dedicated to the facts yet abhors the fact that she lives in a male driven society and refuses to adhere to any female archetype that men envision for her. While she refuses to be stereotyped, she isn’t above using her feminine wiles to manipulate someone else for her own benefit. Terrence Edwards is an aspiring rock star with a troubled past who sees his job as a reporter as a paying gig until his band's big break while Abd-Al-Malik Kassab is a proud Middle Eastern man who has lived in the U.S. the majority of his life yet is consistently profiled by ignorant and pretentious xenophobes which tends to drive Kassab to occasional fits of anger or depression.

Emmett Schroeder is an old and haggard photographer who is distrusting towards strangers and all managerial personnel, and harbors numerous conspiracy theories. Madeline Barbosa is the perfect antithesis to Emerson because she is a young woman who believes in the inherent good of men and sees her position as a starting point to do great things. The janitor of The Chicago Post is Solomon Morgan, and Solomon is the man that knows a little bit about everyone who works at the Post since from his position, he is usually in the background of every conversation and any dealing that happens in the building. He is a proud man who enjoys his work and not only demands respect but gives it to those who he feels deserves it. Yazmin Ramirez is the resident advice columnist and Post sex kitten who shares her intuitive advice with everyone while her sexual innuendo keeps every man interested.

Pierre Fournier is the newspaper’s food critic and a pompous, pretentious connoisseur of extravagant food and fine wine who not only expects everyone to hang onto his every word, but keeps every restaurant he visits on “pins and needles” anytime he visits. Matt Thompson is the tech writer who is not only obsessed with science fiction and anything modern, but maintains a quiet humility even though he is the smartest person at the Post. Thompson spends most of his time online, reading a magazine, or daydreaming about future possibilities.

The possibility for drama, tension, passion, and humor at the newspaper is limitless due to the number of possible interactions while involved in a strenuous work environment. Television dramas thrive on the personal connections that are made and destroyed based on unfolding events, and at the newspaper, the events are twofold based on what everyone is going through and the current events that are taking place which can turn the newspaper on its ear at a moment’s notice. With this in mind, the show can be driven not only by the creative element of the writers involved, but by current events ripped from the news as well.

Every day, news happens and every day, our lives are somehow changed because of the events that unfold around us. Whether it is in the political or financial sector, whether it concerns religious beliefs, or even if it pertains to the criminal element, the public is affected. Because of these numerous events, we rely on news reporters, gossip columnists, and people paid to give their opinions to tell us about these daily happenings. The people at the Chicago Post aren't always involved in what happens in the world, but they are deeply entrenched in the business of relaying to the rest of the world what's happening in their backyard and everyone else's. This isn't the front line, but this is the front page!

The sad state of affairs in Hollywood and how I'm going to change it

I know that with the ending of Lost, Hollywood is desperate to find the show that could possibly be Lost part 2. I have one thing to say about that...

STOP DOING THAT!

Whether you liked it or not, Lost drew in tens of millions of viewers every week just to see some characters trying to deal with being on a deserted island. There will NEVER be another show like that, yet Hollywood producers and mogul types are trying to do that, but it's not going to work.

I used to be embarrassed to say that I am a t.v. addict, but my very existence is to be a writer, and as a writer I love seeing and reading other writer's creations. So as a lifelong t.v. addict I have some room to say what can and can't work right now. Flashforward being canned is proof that a Lost type show won't be well received and with the cancellation of Numbers and Miami Medical, we the people are saying we're tired of seeing 20 new medical and/or police dramas every television season.

Apparently Hollywood isn't getting this message so I'm going to do the one thing I can. I alone(at least for now) am coming for Hollywood and I am armed to the teeth with television treatments, show bibles, and scripts for shows that have never been put on television, but need to be seen. Honestly, I do want to see my name on the screen as executive producer, but more importantly, I want to keep the line of GOOD television going. Shows like Burn Notice, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, and even Glee won't be around forever so I'm going to put my ideas and my work into enough people's hands until I get to the right hands that will work with me and put these shows on the t.v. So if you're reading this and you know somebody who just happens to work with or know one of these Hollywood types...you let them know that I'm coming for them and this determined man will not be stopped.

When LOST invades your dreams

So, maybe I have been watching a little too much LOST. Maybe I shouldn't fall asleep while watching television. Maybe I have an overactive imagination...but I know I'm not the only one.

So I was sleeping...GOOD and I drifted off into dreamland. I dreamed I was on a plane(no, I don't know the name or flight #) and we were flying over the Sahara(I don't know why). I decided to get up and walk to the bathroom, but suddenly, I had a premonition(or maybe it was a flash) so I headed back to my seat. The next thing I know, the plane ripped in half right behind me(luckily I wasn't in the tail end). Well...I said, "Enough is enough", and I quickly got back in my chair and buckled my seat belt(without any problems from the pesky depressurization).

So the plane crash lands in the desert, and of course, there are several people moaning and crying, but I'm walking around assessing the damage and helping a few survivors pitch tents. Yes, after 5 minutes of crashing, people were already making shelters(it could happen). I thought about it for a minute and again I said, "Enough is enough", and I walked for about a half mile to a set of apartment buildings(because of course there are residents in the Sahara). I knocked on one door and a old Chinese lady answered the door. I said hello to her daughter and then I asked her if I could use her phone because I was just involved in a plane crash.

I really wish I could have finished this dream, but I woke up while I was making the call. All I know is that I couldn't have made this up if I wanted to.

DAMN you LOST! Stay out of my dreams!

Recycling is supposed to SAVE the environment

Is it just me or do most of the people in control of the movie and television industry severely lack imagination? I started watching umpteen movie trailers on www.hulu.com and apart from a couple of interesting movies, I saw trailers for the A-Team, Nightmare On Elm St., and The Karate Kid. I will probably watch the A-Team(when it hits dvd) unless a reliable source tells me it's worth the $10 to see it in the theater, but what's the point of seeing a remake when the original is still in your head? I'm happy that Will Smith's son is getting a chance to star in a movie, but I already know that he'll win in the end, and I just might hear, "Sweep the leg." or something to that effect. Freddie never dies, but he doesn't kill everybody either and Hannibal always "loves it when a plan comes together".

The point is that if it's already been done before, it's time for the new thing. I know that most hollywood types want to use the old tried and true method which explains why there's been 15 seasons of Survivor and why so many people feel that at least half the movies that come out need a sequel. Surprise...they don't! I'm glad that there are still movies like The Book of Eli and The Hangover should already be on AMC so with this in mind, can we please not see another Batman or Transporter movie. Hollywood might be scared that an original idea won't work, but the big budget, big name, CG B.S. isn't always pulling in the big bucks either.

I have tons of ideas for original movies and t.v. shows, and half of them aren't so bad either. Here's a freebie that I'd love for someone to use...the title of the movie is Speedy Jenkins. It's the story of a 14 year old boy who is stricken with asthma, but the twist is that he has the speed of a super hero. So while most people would rather "take it easy" and do as little as possible so that they wouldn't make themselves sick, Speedy is more concerned about helping others before he helps himself. He uses his gift to save the innocent from the likes of muggers and other would be crooks, but in the climax of the movie, he has to decide between catching the bad guy and possibly risking his life, winning the affection of his love interest, or shrinking back into his quiet corner to avoid any chance of personal suffering. I give my blessing for anyone to use this because I'm steadily pointing and laughing at anyone who continues to make crappy movies.