BLERDNATION™

"For many people, chitlins (or chitterlings) are a tasty (or, for some, nasty) soul food dish made out of pig intestines. If you can get past what they are (or how badly they stank when cleaned and cooked), then you can shake some hot sauce or sprinkle some cha-cha relish on top and dig in. There's even an annual chitlin' festival in South Carolina.

Chitlins "became a traditional winter food of the American Deep South during Colonial times when, before refrigeration, hogs were slaughtered in December," according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. According to the Department's website, "Those not living 'high on the hog' were given the less desirable parts of the animal.""

"“About Last Night” writer Leslye Headland opened up recently about how she refused to plug racial stereotypes and racist jokes into her rewrite for the romantic comedy after a Black crew was cast. Headland was given the responsibility of rewriting the script after Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall and Joy Bryant were cast as the lead characters.

In an article she wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, Headland said she was instructed to change only the dynamics in the relationships between characters but she was soon bombarded with racist jokes."

"Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable trend on the streets of urban landscapes in metropolitan areas all over the map – the rise of the global Black dandy. I found myself immersed in this alternative world of fine and flyyyyy Black men and when I say fly I mean from head to toe, when I curated the first iteration of my Dandy Lion exhibit. Launched at Society’s HAE’s Pop Up Gallery in Harlem in November 2010 during the nascent years of the resurgence of the Black dandy movement, in terms of imagery, Dandy Lion read like a breath of fresh air."

"Danai Gurira, star of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” opened up about how moving to Zimbabwe sparked her passion for the arts. Gurira has taken the small screen by storm, but many of her fans might not know that she’s also a playwright. When she was only 5 years old, Gurira moved from her home state of Iowa to live with her parents in Zimbabwe. It was there that she found her love for the arts after her parents surrounded her with literature."

"More than a week after Arizona State University suspended a fraternity for a Martin Luther King Jr. weekend party mocking black people, the local chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon apologized on social media – on the orders of the fraternity's international headquarters.

In a letter addressed to ASU and the Tempe community, the Beta-Xi chapter wrote on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon that it was sorry for "the offensive and racially insensitive conduct in which a few members of our chapter recently engaged.""

"Every year, without fail, a report will show that the American entertainment industry has consistently underrepresented people of color on screen, both in character and by actor. Even when studies show that it is actually in the best interest of Hollywood to have more equitable representation, we do not see equitable representation on screen. This is true for film, network television, and cable television and not only in front of the camera at all levels, from leading roles to background actors, but also behind the camera, from the writers, to the directors, the producers, and all over the corporate structures that run the studios and networks to even the big money interests that fund them."

"YouTube favorite The Couple is headed to HBO. The Black and Sexy TV web series follows the laugh out loud and thought provoking ups and downs of a young black couple.

Created by Jeanine Daniels and Dennis Dortch and starring Numa Pierrer and Desmond Faison, The Couple debuted in 2012 and has a steady fan base. The Washington Post reports that Spike Lee will be executive producing the HBO deal.

This news comes on the heels of several other black women making power moves in entertainment in 2014. Hopefully, this is not a trend, but the beginning having real diversity amongst the decision makers and content creators of Hollywood."

"Hide your wives, hide your kids! The Boondocks are officially coming back.

After a 4-year absence from the airwaves, Aaron McGruder’s subversive and satirical take on race, politics and culture in returning for a fourth season on April 21.

The show will air on Adult Swim and all your favorite characters — Riley, Huey, Grandad and Uncle Ruckus — should all be back from more outrageous laughs."

"So, it’s January and with both the holidays and the new series of Sherlock already over (sob!), it’s time to turn our attention to the brave new world of 2014. I’m not making any New Year’s Resolutions this year, since I’m now of an age when I realise the folly of trying anything that requires willpower at the most miserable time of the year. But I would quite like to see some resolutions from other people – particularly in the world of entertainment. So here’s my wish list for what I hope to see in the coming year…"

"Catherine Samba-Panza became the first female president of the Central African Republic (CAR) on Monday when she was voted into office by the interim parliament. Ms. Samba-Panza previously served as the mayor of Bangui and became the embattled nation’s interim president after beating rival Desire Kolingba, son of the ousted president. President Samba-Panza is tasked with ending the sectarian violence that has been ripping through CAR for nearly a year."