[♪♪♪]
WOMAN: Welcome to BET headquarters.
I'm Deborah Leevil. It's 2 p.m.,
so it's time for our morning staff meeting.
Our leader, Bob Johnson, had a dream.
A dream of creating a network that would accomplish
what hundreds of years of slavery,
Jim Crow and malt liquor couldn't.
The destruction of black people!
MAN: Yo, sister!
Is that so hard?
Mistress Leevil, since BET came into existence,
terrible things have happened to black people.
Dropout rates, teen pregnancy, unemployment and incarceration
have skyrocketed since our debut 25 years ago.
We really believe we're making a difference--
LEEVIL: Silence!
Agh!
MAN: What the devil?
The destruction of black people
is not happening fast enough.
The other day I saw three niggas reading books.
One of them was smiling.
[PHONE RINGS]
Yes.
MAN: He gonna die.
No, I'll have to call them back.
Oh, and I need another math guy.
He gonna die.
You know, the dude with the charts and shit.
He dead.
Yeah, him. I need another one.
Yeah, and a cleanup crew. Oh, and another shoe.
Left. No, Prada.
Wedgie Rudlin,
my Harvard-educated president of entertainment,
tell me about the evil shows you have in development.
Um--
MAN: Tell it, brother!
--Mistress Leevil, my Harvard education tells us
that our goal is to take all the shitty reality shows
MTV did five years ago, and make them black.
Anyone who wants to see a shitty black version
of an MTV reality show, well,
they'll have to come to us.
What else?
Next month, we're gonna have our first awards show
honoring video hoes.
MAN: Video hoes!
Or as I like to call it, a "Hoe-wards" show.
[COUGHS]
Right.
I don't get it.
Must be that Harvard humor. Faggot-ass faggot.
Personnel, how are we fucking up niggas' money?
Well, let's see. As you've requested,
nobody outside this room has been paid for months.
And you fired everyone that could read.
Mm-hm.
I love it.
Okay, and public relations?
Mistress Leevil, we got one thing to report, a'ight?
Some little nigga named Huey Freeman.
He all critical of the network and shit,
talking about a hunger strike.
Why? What did we ever do to him
except try to destroy black people? What?
This hunger strike will continue
until BET is taken off the air, the office is shut down,
and all its top executives commit Japanese ritual suicide.
[CACKLES]
He's just a kid.
No one can stand in my way of destroying black people.
Especially not
Huey Freeman.
[CACKLES]
[♪♪♪]
♪ I am the stone The builder refused ♪
♪ I am the visual The inspiration ♪
♪ That made lady Sing the blues ♪
♪ I'm the spark That makes your idea bright ♪
♪ The same spark That lights the dark ♪
♪ So that you can know Left from right ♪
♪ I am the ballot in your box The bullet in the gun ♪
♪ The inner glow That lets you know ♪
♪ To call your brother sun ♪
♪ The story that just begun ♪
♪ The promise Of what's to come ♪
♪ And I'm 'a remain a soldier ♪
♪ Till the war is won Won ♪
♪ Chop, chop, chop Judo flip ♪
♪ Chop, chop, chop ♪
[♪♪♪]
GRANDDAD: ♪ Fake meat ♪
♪ Fake meat is good Ooh-hee, hey ♪
HUEY: It was the third day of my hunger strike to bring an end
to the tyranny of Black Entertainment Television.
GRANDDAD: Mm-mm. Man, fake meat is good.
Hey, could you pass me one of them veggie burgers?
There was someone around here who used to love veggie burgers.
You wouldn't remember who that was, would you, boy? Hm?
[BURPS]
[CHUCKLES]
What's with all this hunger strike, boy?
What did food ever do to you, hm?
[CHUCKLES]
Can I be excused, please?
No, you are gonna eat with the family, boy.
Ain't nobody told you to crusade against BET.
BET is out to destroy black people.
My nigga, I watch BET every day, feel me?
There ain't nothing wrong with me, feel me?
Nigga, you just hating, feel me?
That's why you ain't never gonna have no paper, no bitches.
Boy, watch your mouth.
See? That's BET.
He's right though, Huey. Women don't like hating.
You better listen to your granddaddy. Heh.
You don't wanna be bitchless.
I know bitchless. Look, I'm bitchless right now.
It's no fun.
You feel me?
[PHONE RINGS]
Hello?
MAN: Hey. Uh, good day.
I'm looking for brother Huey Freeman please.
Speaking.
Hey, brother Huey,
my name is Reverend Rollo Goodlove.
And it's my honor to speak with you.
Wait, the Rollo Goodlove?
You mean, the Rollo Goodlove
who toured with Parliament Funkadelic in the '70s,
became a community activist in the '80s,
ran for president twice in the '90s,
and currently is host of the syndicated public-access show
"What's Goin' On?" with Rollo Goodlove, Rollo Goodlove?
ROLLO: Mm-hm. The same. Hm. Glory.
Anyway, I had to call and share with you my support
of your hunger strike. How you feeling?
Hungry.
Well, you know,
you made a powerful statement, young man.
And I'm proud to call myself your ally.
Are you going on a hunger strike with me?
Uh, yeah. Um... Uh, no. No, no, no.
You see, I have to have dinner with Puffy later on.
But don't you worry though.
Together we're gonna bring our enemies to their knees.
Now, listen, I'm holding a rally downtown tomorrow, brother.
And I would love for you to come and stand with us.
[♪♪♪]
ROLLO: Brothers and sisters.
I said, bothers and sisters.
[INDISTINCT YELLS]
I don't know what this world is coming to.
But if you ask me what I think about BET,
I'll tell you with no shame:
BET sucks.
MAN: Suck that dick!
Suck!
Now, I say that because
when I sit and watch BET,
my dignity is sucked away.
And, uh, my pride is sucked away.
And the progress we've made in the freedom struggle
over the last five decades is sucked away.
[CROWD SHOUTING]
Now, brothers and sisters,
we are here today because we're not gonna let BET
suck anything more from us.
I say, stand up and tell 'em:
"I will not be a prisoner to your foolishness. I am free.
"And I will not be captured by your ignorance.
"'Cause I'm free.
"I will not be trapped
"in your negrofied matrix, either.
Because I am free."
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro.
[BAND PLAYING FUNK MUSIC]
[CROWD CHEERING]
♪ If you're wondering What it look like ♪
♪ Look at me ♪
♪ Ah! ♪
MAN 1: Yeah, baby!
MAN 2: Yeah, reverend.
Let me show you how to do it.
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Ah-hah, oh ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
Right here, baby! Yeah!
♪ I'm on my way ♪
♪ For most everything ♪
♪ And this is my day ♪
♪ Make me wanna say I'm free ♪
♪ And everything I'm allowed to see ♪
♪ Free ♪
♪ Come and see ♪
♪ No, no Look at me ♪
♪ Ah What you waiting on? ♪
♪ I want action, passion Smiling ♪
♪ Laughing, yielding Feeling ♪
♪ Helping, healing ♪
♪ Introduce your neighbor To your savior ♪
♪ I'm free ♪
♪ Look at me ♪
♪ Freedom in high fidelity ♪
♪ Free ♪
ALL: ♪ Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah ♪
[ROLLO LAUGHS]
Yeah!
Ooh, have mercy.
Brothers and sisters, y'all give it on up
for Otis and the Action Band.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Granddad, you should have seen it.
Reverend Goodlove, it was amazing.
Man, the people were so inspired.
Oh, yeah, I saw it on the news. Looked like American Idol to me.
I still don't know what your problem is with BET.
I love Beyoncé. Shoot. Little sweet thing.
♪ Oh, shake it girl Shake it girl ♪
♪ Shake it girl Yeah ♪
Ain't you hungry yet?
[♪♪♪]
Well, I was thinking that tomorrow
we could reach the people by marching
to the BET headquarters--
Now, now, we ain't gonna do no shit like that.
Uh, now, Huey, black people have style.
And we are attracted to things of class.
Especially you young people.
Ahem. Now, see,
but that's what makes BET so dangerous now.
Excuse me. It sells you young people
a lifestyle that you're attracted to.
Mm, that's good-- But, uh-- But you can't afford it.
And in order to save them kids, I gotta reach them kids. Mm.
Now, see, when I shine,
they walk toward me for the light of them diamonds. Heh.
Ain't nothing wrong with that. But when they walk away from me,
they got the light of their truth.
You think I wanna be at the VIBE awards?
Do you really believe I want to be
ringside at the championship fight? Mm-mm.
You think I wanna be doing Skating with the Stars,
falling down, fucking up my ankles?
Well, goddamn it!
Waiter, this ain't no beluga caviar.
Now, see, for example, let's look at music.
Now, here's my rap demo.
Personally, I like jazz and gospel.
But if I spit that hot fire,
I might be able to reach some of them kids out there.
You see, thing with me though is,
when I do it, I'm a gonna do it for the people, now.
I work all day and night to get their attention.
And it's hard. It's hard work, Huey.
Look, I even know all the new dances.
[HUMMING]
♪ You-- ♪
♪ You and-- ♪
[♪♪♪]
Mistress Leevil, the new slogans are ready for your approval.
Oh.
MAN [OVER TV]:
Hm.
MAN [OVER TV]:
Uh-huh.
MAN [OVER TV]:
Hmm. I'll think about it.
[PHONE RINGS]
MAN: Sorry to bother you, Mistress Leevil,
but the Freeman boy is on CNN.
What's CNN?
But I submit to you today--
LEEVIL: Rollo Goodlove.
I know just how to deal with the good reverend.
[CACKLING]
[♪♪♪]
HUEY: Thanks to Goodlove and a very slow news cycle,
the boycott became a big story and started to take off.
Man.
Fuck BET. I'm gonna read a book.
[♪♪♪]
HUEY: Word got around: BET was evil.
Okay, welcome back, little lambs.
Uh, we are sitting here with former BET host,
sister Sherry Carter.
First things first.
You never could get that hair right,
now could you, baby? Oh, heh-heh.
But we was with you, baby,
because you had the big old thighs.
And you was a red bone, mmm.
Never could understand how a sister
that light-skinned had bad hair, though.
Is Tigger short for tiger and nigger?
Or are you just a big old fan of Winnie the Pooh?
We are now sitting here with a former BET host,
Tavis Smiley. Now, Tavis, correct me if I'm wrong,
but you had some problems over there at BET, now, didn't you?
Well, I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't.
Yeah, but things went okay for you afterwards.
I mean, after all, you do have an NPR show.
Well, yes, I do have the NPR radio show.
And I also have a talk show on PBS.
Oh, two shows. Hm.
I guess that beats my one, huh? Heh-heh.
You're doing real good, brother.
You're doing real good.
You know, I don't think I've ever been invited
to either one of those shows, though.
Well, then, we'll just have to get you on, now, won't we?
I mean, heh, I put you on my show.
You know, I'm sharing my light.
Helping you move a book or two.
But I don't see the favor being returned.
At all. So I was just checking to see
if I had done something wrong to you.
I think we're out of time.
ROLLO: Motherfucker, that's my line.
See, Granddad? That's called exposure.
And with enough of it, we can change the world.
Mm-hm.
And finally tonight, Reverend Rollo Goodlove,
who's been very critical recently of BET
and their sexually-explicit videos,
starred in a pretty explicit video of his own.
Oh.
The video clearly shows
the, uh, good Reverend Goodlove
at the House of Cheeks strip club.
♪ Shake that ass, girl ♪
And it doesn't look like he was talking politics.
[CHUCKLES]
I bet you're hungry now.
I'm saying, man, it doesn't look good.
Jesus walked amongst the people.
Mohammad walked amongst the people.
I am a people person, Huey.
All the great prophets embraced the people.
You're embracing a butt, Reverend.
Listen, child, I can speak in colleges
and get paid a whole heap of money.
But if you're in college already,
you don't need Rollo Goodlove
as much as a young brother out there in the gang
or a young sister in the strip club
needs Rollo Goodlove.
Have mercy. Now, see. If I walk into the strip club
and start talking to a sister
about progressive politics and all that,
bettering her life and voter registration,
you think she gonna talk to me?
But if I grab me a handful of that big old ass
and ask for a dance,
now, she's gonna think I'm just another trick.
When I'm really an instrument of her salvation.
Now, I have set the table for change.
Yeah. She grinding on me, trying to get that little $20.
But she gonna get a whole lot more than that,
believe me. Oh, glory.
Now, sometimes you'll find her an apartment.
Maybe even a job.
Yeah, but it still looks pretty bad.
I just hope it doesn't hurt the boycott.
I don't think I can go without food much longer.
HUEY: This wasn't the first blow
to Reverend Goodlove's public image.
Do you own a car?
'Cause if you do, you own the keys to some cash.
HUEY: Last year, Reverend Goodlove signed on
to pitch high-interest loans
that exploit the poor and desperate.
Call the Loan Ranger.
I feareth not your scandals. My name is Rollo Goodlove.
You can't sully my reputation.
I take your attacks as a badge of honor.
They called Martin Luther King an adulterer.
They called Muhammad Ali a communist.
And for 2000 years, they called Mary Magdalene a prostitute.
Come to find out that's Jesus' baby mama.
Y'all saw The Da Vinci Code.
HUEY: I don't know, maybe Rollo just knew how to spin.
I don't think there's anything wrong
with a stripper's ass in a grown man's face.
But I do have a problem with BET
putting strippers' asses in the faces of our children.
HUEY: Or maybe by now his followers
just weren't surprised by anything he did anymore.
Well, of course it was a setup.
I believe the release of this video
was engineered by BET themselves,
working in conjunction with the Republican Party
and-- And the FBI thing.
HUEY: Goodlove escalated the attack on BET
by producing a DVD called BET: The High Cost of Low Standards.
ROLLO: These are the poor. These are the forgotten.
The victims of black-on-black crime.
These are the employees
of Black Entertainment Television.
Now, these two comedy writers
were only offered two dollars for a pilot script.
When will this tragedy end?
The situation's gotten so bad
that workers at this Wal-Mart store
took up a collection for BET employees. Wow.
I don't know, just seemed like the right thing to do,
helping people less fortunate, you know.
ROLLO: But, as a Wal-Mart employee,
isn't it true that you were forced
to work overtime hours off the books,
and you had to get on food stamps?
Yeah, they forced me to work overtime
and get on the food stamps.
But at least I ain't workin' at BET.
So thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
ROLLO: Even this non-legal immigrant worker
donates money to BET employees every month. Wow.
Me and my family, we don't have much,
but we give everything we have
to the poor BET workers.
This is not what America is about.
[♪♪♪]
REPORTER [ON TV]: And Black Entertainment Television
is really feeling the heat now
from this nationwide boycott, started a week ago
by a 10-year-old boy on a hunger strike.
The NAACP announced this morning
that it is asking its members to join the boycott
to make the network more socially responsible.
Master. Oh, this is an unexpected pleasure.
We are honored by your presence.
Ah.
Okay, first of all,
why do you always kneel when I walk in? That's just so weird.
Second, we've got to figure out this boycott thing.
It's killing us.
Ah, but it is Huey Freeman
and Reverend Goodlove who'll soon be doing the dying.
But we're looking at getting some ninjas in
for a cheap price.
Yeah, look, just talk to 'em.
Give 'em whatever they want, okay? Just handle it.
Not everyone is in support of the boycott.
Listen to what this BET supporter had to say.
Every time a black baby is born,
I'd give 'em a plasma TV and one channel: BET.
Slap it right on the ceiling over the crib.
By the time that nigga's 12, he'll be watching it in jail.
Ha-ha-ha-ha! BET forever!
BET! Boom-bye-ya!
BET! Boom-bye-ya.
That's the kind of language they understand.
Huh. Surprised you guys haven't given him a show.
Call Goodlove. Set up a meeting!
[♪♪♪]
HUEY: It was in the news that I first heard the boycott had ended.
The details were sketchy, but there was no mention
of the network shutting down, nor of ritual suicide.
So I feared I had been had.
A show? You sold me out for a show?
Damn it, Huey, you can't change BET from the outside.
You got to change it from the inside.
This is victory, brother.
Now, my message--
Our message will get to the people.
It's a sitcom called My Dad, Rollo.
Do you have any idea how hungry I am?
You think I want my own sitcom, Huey?
No, I really don't.
But you can catch more flies with honey
than you ever gonna catch with vinegar.
And, brother Huey, laughter is that sweet, sweet honey.
Oh, Lord, child.
Have mercy.
Niggas is just gonna be niggas.
So you might as well get that money while you bullshit.
Why starve? Why just starve?
Then go get something to eat.
Me and Puffy having dinner at the Chateau.
You know you're welcome to come, don't you?
[♪♪♪]
Thanks, Granddad.
Granddad, what do you do when you can't do nothing,
but there's nothing you can do?
You do what you can.
By the way, did you hear they're giving Ruckus a job at BET?
Can you believe that?
What the hell's wrong with those people over there?
Damn, they'll give anybody a job at BET.
I don't want one. Shoot.
[♪♪♪]