All The 'Single Ladies'

I heard and read a lot of people's opinions about the VHI show, "Single Ladies" before I watched it myself.  I feared that it would fall into the category of "Basketball Wives."  You know what I'm talking about...shows that make you cringe as a Black woman because you feel all other ethnicity's and races will assume you act like the women on the TV screen.  BUT since I recorded every episode, I figure I should at least give it a try. AND let me tell you... I LOVED IT.

Let me explain why. It's a low budget "Sex and the City" with brown women.  Plus, it's like a great soap opera and as you all know, the networks are cutting those left and right.  Where are we supposed to find our fantasy worlds--- on the Internet? No thank you.  I am not a perv.

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Keisha, the former video vixen and man-eater turned Realtor, is my favorite character.  Yes, I said Keisha and yes, she is played by Lisa Raye.  I am not deaf, nor blind and I know Lisa Raye can not act, but you can't knock her hustle. PLUS, she is from my beloved hometown.  She is South side Chicago down to the core and she spews it all over this character.  I can't stop watching her, she reminds me of home.  In fact, my mother and I discussed this issue and I told her that I noticed the writers write to Lisa Raye's strength, which is home girl attitude, with a bit of bourgeois mixed in.  Just a day after that conversation, I read an article on the creator of the show and she said she'd written for Lisa Raye before on a show called "All of Us" and knows her tone. Hey, it is what it is.

The actresses who play Val and April aren't much better than Lisa Raye, but anyway let's break them down.



Stacey Dash plays Val, a fashion designer and boutique owner. Val's core is like mine.  She wants the perfect life: wedding, husband and kids. Unlike me, she is unrealistic.  Anyways, I love how naive and caring she is. 


Then there's April, the white girl (the one on the far white of the picture). I've read some criticism that some people don't like the fact that she was married to a black man.  Those critics would have preferred an interracial relationship between a Black woman and a White man.  I say...whatever!  Her story line is awesome.  She had a great husband who took care of her, but he was controlling.  She stepped out on him, had an affair with the mayor and boom--- lost everything. Now, she's starting from scratch.  I don't care about his race or her race, the story line has all of the drama that this soap-opera-loving chick could ever want.

Finally, the side characters... there's a female intern (the white girl on the left side of the picture) and the "gay guy."  Between those two, you see the dynamic of gay men trying to pretend their relationships don't mirror those of straight couples when it comes to monogamy. Plus, you see what happens when a young girl tries to dabble in "sex" only relationships and threesomes.

It's over the top, outlandish and cheap.  It could possibly overtake "All My Children" in my heart. Sure it's filled with gratuitous kissing, hugging and "sexing", but wasn't "Sex and the City?"  I disagree with anyone who says this show makes Black women look bad.  It's fun, over the top and NOT billed as reality TV. If you can't slip into a little fantasy world, then get over yourself.  If the white chicks in "Sex and the City" could be celebrated for owning their sexuality, why can't the black chicks in "Single Ladies?" AND the acting is on par with my beloved Soap Operas...so I'll keep it.  I'm so happy this show was picked up for a second season.  I just hope that all the actors return.