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Samuel L Jackson

February 11, 2014 by · Comments Off on Samuel L Jackson 

Samuel L Jackson, A Los Angeles entertainment anchor confused Samuel L. Jackson with Laurence Fishburne on live TV, making for an incredibly awkward interview.

On KTLA this morning, Sam Rubin asked Jackson, who was appearing on the show from Atlanta to discuss his new movie ‘RoboCop,’ about his recent Super Bowl commercial.

But the Snakes on a Plane actor didn’t do a Super Bowl spot this year – Laurence Fishburne did – and Jackson, understandably, goes off the handle.

Livid, Jackson suggests Rubin is being racist, shouting, ‘We don’t all look alike,’ referring to black actors.

All the while, Rubin, who boasts on the KTLA website of being the entertainment reporter for the No. 1 morning show in Hollywood, scrambles, desperately trying to apologize and jokingly shrug off his offensive blunder, but Jackson won’t let him.

He genuinely seems like he can’t believe what’s going on.

The mess begins right at the start of the chat, when Rubin asks, ‘Did you get a lot of reaction to that Super Bowl commercial?’

Jackson looks confused and responds ‘what Super Bowl commercial?’

The penny immediately drops, and there’s a painful silence as a ghost white Rubin stars off screen, probably at a producer, in a desperate plea for help.

But Jackson gets it almost as quickly.

Pointing his finger angrily, he says, ‘you see, you’re as crazy as the people on Twitter. I’m not Laurence Fishburne!’

Rubin chuckles uncomfortably, repeating, ‘that’s my fault, I know that, my mistake,’ as he holds his hands up in surrender.

But Jackson continues: ‘We don’t all look alike! We may all be black and famous but we don’t all look alike.’

As Rubin continues to backpedal, Jackson asks, baffled: ‘You’re the entertainment reporter?

‘You’re the entertainment reporter for this station and you don’t know the difference between me and Laurence Fishburne?’

He then quips, ‘There must be a very short line for your job.’

Still in disbelief, he exclaims ‘Really? Really?’ before lightening the mood slightly by joking about the various ads he, Fishburne and even Morgan Freeman have starred in, to clarify to the less than qualified entertainment reporter just which ‘black guy’ he is.

Rubin joined the KTLA Morning News in 1991, according to the station’s network.

In that time he’s ‘established a reputation as someone who goes beyond the entertainment headlines of the day. His insights and exploration of the deeper meaning and impact of the stories within the entertainment industry generate conversation within the business, as well as outside it.’

Perhaps in this case, the conversation he’s generating is not the conversation he’s after?

KTLA and Sam Rubin have not yet responded to MailOnline’s request for comment.

Samuel L. Jackson

February 14, 2012 by · Comments Off on Samuel L. Jackson 

Samuel L. Jackson, According to the New York Post , skin color played a role in the 2008 election, at least for one prominent black man, actor Samuel L. Jackson.

“I voted for Barack because he was black,” Jackson said. Undoubtedly, Jackson’s confession will raise the ire of many Americans shouting terms like “reverse-racism.” I say good for Jackson.

Sweeping the issue of racism under the rug is pointless. We have to keep talking it through because our nation is still too fraught with racial injustice.

You’ll excuse me for using the term “black” instead of “African American.” There’s been nothing African about black Americans for more than 400 years. Our ancestors were quick to make sure of that and our school system still perpetuates that lost heritage.

You don’t believe it? Tell me then why it is that until 1849, when Harriett Tubman drew her first free breath, that black people had no names in our history books but existed only as nameless slaves? Do you remember the section about Askia the Great? Aezana of Axum? Yaa Asentewa? I sure don’t. We learned European history but never African.

We teach young Americans that Abraham Lincoln was a hero for his Emancipation Proclamation , but Lincoln didn’t draft it for the benefit of the slaves. He ordered it as punishment to rebel slave owners with holdings in the north. He turned out the slaves with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. They had no place to live, no money, no education, no heritage, no jobs and no prospects.

Whereas before Emancipation, slave owners said “Work for me or I wall beat you to death.” After Emancipation, the same men said “Work for me or I will starve you to death.” It’s not enough that Lincoln freed the slaves because in so doing, he didn’t also offer any of the blessings or responsibilities that come with freedom. Some hero.

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