Singapore & Asian Film News Portal since 2006
FEATURES FILM INTERVIEWS NEWS & RESOURCES

Young, Scripted, and Black: Regi Allen’s Quest to Make FunkTV the First Urban Alternative Network1 min read

10 June 2011 < 1 min read

author:

Young, Scripted, and Black: Regi Allen’s Quest to Make FunkTV the First Urban Alternative Network1 min read

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Regi Allen pitched a program to Black Entertainment Television. They stopped him at the show’s name: Fried Chicken Cinema.

To hear Allen tell it, the BET executives weren’t interested in a show geared toward black audiences that was named with a persistent African-American stereotype in mind-never mind that the network itself frequently faces criticism for its negative portrayals of African Americans. And never mind that with his brainchild-an update of Mystery Science Theater 3000 for lovers of Blaxploitation films-Allen wanted to confront and dispel the stereotype, putting it in viewers’ faces and making it funny.

Allen says he was asked why he wanted to call his show Fried Chicken Cinema. “Because “˜Baked Chicken Cinema’ doesn’t have the same ring to it,” he quipped. He says the executives didn’t even bother watching the show’s demo.

What Allen knew even then was that Fried Chicken Cinema is probably too smart for BET. It’s definitely too weird.

 

Read the full story here >>

Via Washington City Paper

Leave a comment

%d bloggers like this: