TVSquad

It becomes extraordinarily tough to do reports during the cable sessions, mainly because the various networks give you one session after another without much time to breathe. You're also shuttling back and forth between two ballrooms. Finally, if you happen to be lucky enough to get some one-on-one time with a few people (as I did with Joan Rivers and the guys behind the new BBC America show The InBetweeners)... well, it leads to posts that don't go live until nighttime on the East Coast.

Heck, I haven't even written about last night's AMC cocktail party and the comic stylings of Jon Hamm yet. That'll come when I get a chance. The latest info and quips will always be on our Twitter feed if you're curious.

For now, though, some highlights of the day:

TBS started the 100-episode order with the Tyler Perry family of sitcoms. And now they're at it again with a similar offer on the table for a television adaptation of Ice Cube's film Are We There Yet? Even better, they've nabbed Everybody Hates Chris' Terry Crews to play Nick, the role Ice Cube played in the film and its sequel.

Crews was always the funniest character on Everybody Hates Chris, and seeing him as the fish out of water marrying into an instant family should give him plenty of opportunity for laughs. It's nice to see that shows featuring predominantly African American casts are still being developed somewhere since they've left network television completely now with the cancellation of The CW's comedies.

Ice Cube is producing a new reality series pilot for A&E called Good in the Hood. The plan is for each episode to be introduced by Ice Cube and then focus on a former gang member, drug dealer or robber as they try to help somebody in a similar situation turn their life around.

I've expressed my distaste for reality programming in the past, but this is a good example of how many sub-genres existed within the reality show genre, and not all of them are that bad. I really like the idea of people who once took from society do what they can to give something back, and to understand that it is possible to change. It's a great idea, and if done well, I think A&E may have another hit on its hands.

Rapper/actor Ice Cube is joining the chorus of performers who have a problem with Oprah. Cube tells FHM magazine that he thinks he wasn't invited on her show when Barbershop II came out because he is a rapper (Oprah did have Cedric the Entertainer and Eve on). He also takes it a step further by saying, "She's had damn rapists, child molesters and lying authors on her show. And if I'm not a rags-to-riches story for her, who is?" Forget East vs. West. It's Rappers vs. Oprah (and I think Oprah will prevail).

Fellow rappers Ludacris and 50 Cent have also voiced their discontent with Oprah's lack of hip-hop artists on her show. Oprah was pretty clear with Ludacris, when he was on a year ago for Crash, that she did not approve of his dirty and derogatory lyrics. However, she did defend herself on an NYC radio station after 50 Cent accused her of banning rappers from her show. She said she even has a little 50 Cent on her iPod, and she loves Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, and Jay-Z.

So. Is this just a ploy by these guys to get some face time on Oprah or what?

Snicker if you will at the prospect of a South Central version of Welcome Back, Kotter with Ice Cube in the lead. But one very important person endorses the idea: none other than the original Kotter himself, Gabe Kaplan.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Kaplan said that Cube is a great choice for the role. "He has shown what kind of crossover appeal he has," he told the program.

Of course, Kaplan probably couldn't care less about a Kotter remake, since he's been busy playing professional poker for the last couple of decades. But he could not have said a word, or even refused to talk about it. So Cube and company should be happy with Kaplan's endorsement.

Although, to be honest, I don't even think Ice Cube will ever have a better 'fro than Gabe did. Gabe wins the hair war, hands down.

Welcome Back, Kotter on the big screen? Why? It makes me wonder whether they'll move to the 80s soon with a movie version of Punky Brewster and Mr. Belvedere one of these days. Or Growing Pains, Family Ties, and Hill Street Blues.

Anyway. Ice Cube has signed on to play the lead role in the movie, as well as produce it. He'll be the teacher who returns to his old, inner-city school to help rough kids get an education. I wonder if John Travolta will do a cameo?

So, which one of ya'll are watching Black.White? I think the show sounds interesting, but I can't help but be turned off by the transformation of one race to another, which I don't think ever looks natural, even if it is done by a highly-qualified team of cinematic make-up artists. The best one can hope for is to try and not look creepy and disconcerting, which I think is impossible.

That seems to be the least of the show's problems, though. It turns out some people weren't happy with the original pilot, and some things had to be changed before it hit the airwaves last Wednesday. A sequence that allegedly took place at an exclusive "all white" country club involving one of the show's characters, Brian Sparks, disguised as a white man, was previewed on Oprah. That scene was changed when the owner of the pro-shop insisted his was a public facility where anyone could play. References to it being exclusive were deleted when the show aired.

So what do you guys think? Ice Cube is calling Black.White a "social experiment" but is it in danger of relying too heavily on the "forced reality" of other shows? Can it still make its point despite that?

While HBO is tapping into Google Maps to promote the upcoming season of The Sopranos, F/X is taking its promotions to MySpace. Starting today through February 26th, F/X is offering a new music video by Ice Cube to MySpace members (it's also available on the show's official website). He's the executive producer on the race-swapping documentary, Black.White, and sings the title song, Race Card. After Feb. 26th, the video will also be available on AOL, Yahoo!, TVGuide.com, and BlackAmericaWeb.com and it will also be available cell phone users of Sprint Nextel and Boost Mobile networks.

F/X found huge success with its MySpace page for the Carver mystery on Nip/Tuck last season and is hoping for the same "viral" marketing in the case of Black.White, which premieres March 8 at 10 pm.