2009 Black History Month: Favorite Black TV Characters (#15 + #14)

By: Luke Florence

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#15 - February 14th - Christopher 'Big Black' Boykin - "Rob and Big"

First off, apologies for missing yesterday. I should have posted this before leaving for a night of drinking and NBA all-star festivities, but I failed to show that much initiative to pull it off. So, to make up for it, you are getting two for the price of one today. We start with Big Black who stars alongside Rob Dyrdek from Rob and Big.

I've stated in previous posts, and you will hear it again in future ones, how much I love the black-white relationships. The fact that he and Rob are best friends (or at the very least, appear to be on the show) helped his rating for this list tremendously.

Thanks to Big Black, my vocabulary has shown significant signs of growth. His "do work" phrase is one I repeat every time I get the opportunity. Not to mention his love of using "son," which has become a favorite of mine as well. But it's not just his dialect that I am a fan of. It is his "no drama" approach to life, his willingness to make a fool of himself in almost any situation, and the way he interacts with Rob.

On the surface, Rob and Big is a show of complete opposites. It stars one little white skater and one big black bodyguard. However, upon closer inspection these two guys are very similar. At heart, they are both boys with toys.

Sure they get in crazy situations, and do things I would never do ... at least not sober, but they also have heart-to-heart talks, or better worded, they have "real talk." Any guy in college has had several "real talks" with their friends from time-to-time.

It is a show that only lasted three seasons, but for the time-being is still fresh in my eyes, and did plenty of "work" to get recognized during black history month.

Okay, moving straight to #14 to make up for yesterday's no show and to get back on track for the rest of February.

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#14 - February 15th - Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - "WWF Raw"

Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?

We all go through phases in our lives. One of my biggest "phases" that I had to overcome, was my obsession with wrestling. I was a WCW fan for the longest time, until I discovered The Rock. After watching one interview with The Rock, I realized how juvenile WCW appeared to be and how WWF seemed bad-ass by comparison.

I've never seen another entertainer captivate an audience the way Dwayne Johnson did during his years with professional wrestling. He was super quick with the microphone, witty, funny, creative and sharp. In other words, he was awesome to watch. Whether he had the crowd on his side, or even after he turned heel and the crowd would boo him, The Rock was an experience to itself.

Going through YouTube looking for video's brought back some memories, but they also brought a healthy amount of laughs. My favorite "The Rock" line, came when he was singing in Sacramento. Make sure to watch this entire video below so you do not miss it.

After Johnson dominated wrestling for several years, he did turn "pro" and went on to act in several movies. Some have hit, others have missed, but the simple fact that he has gotten so many roles is a tribute to his acting skills, which were on display every Monday night on WWF Raw for half a decade.

No other wrestler has held the audience's attention the way The Rock did. To this very day I will spend a couple minutes, every once in a while, watching wrestling, hoping to see someone like The People's Champ. I'm always left disappointed because no one has come close. But, I guess that's what makes him The People's Champ, and there can only be one.

Enough from me today. We are now back on track, with one-a-day scheduled from here on out. Check out Barnes' blog (over on my sidebar) to see what he thinks about my selections.

Hint for #13: Even though we just unveiled a huge black man and a professional wrestler, my money would be on this guy to beat both of them in a cage match.

Until tomorrow, "read it, roll it, hole it."