Tia Mowry & Pooch Hall...Fired Huh?

I've stated in my "About" section that this isn't a journalist or news blog, but this story deserves some "journalist-like" attention from me today!

First off, let me first say that I'm seeing two different things coming from all over the place. Some news sources and gossip sites are saying that Tia and Pooch were fired from The Game, while others are saying that they quit because they weren't being paid enough. However, most of them are saying that they were in fact fired and I am going to use them getting fired as the basis for this post. Okay. Let's get into it...

BET. Black Entertainment Television. What in the world has happened to you? How in the world have you managed to turn the MECCA of Black American television into such a joke? Do we blame Viacom? Do we blame Robert L. Johnson for selling BET to Viacom? Or do we blame Debra Lee? I don't know and I don't care who is responsible for this tragedy of a network. The only thing that matters is the fact that BET is now like a tragic star who rose to fame in the 80s and 90s and is now broke and strung out (no disrespect to anyone).

BET has cancelled many great shows--Teen Summit, Rap City, BET Nightly News, and a few other good shows. Now all we get is the same movies everyday (particularly Baby Boy), 106th & Park (now a Disney channel program BET-style *rolls eyes*), and lukewarm original sitcoms with those God-forsaken laugh tracks. 

The Game premiered on the CW Network in 2006 and struck big ratings, but ratings began to decline each season, and the show was cancelled when CW began making changes. People from all over the country on many social networking sites came together and petitioned for the show's return, and BET eventually picked it up for a fourth season! On January 11, 2011 (the day before my birthday; I remember it vividly ^_^) The Game's season premiere aired on BET and had an estimated 7.7 million viewers, making it the biggest ad-supported scripted series premiere in cable history.

As we the viewers watched the show, we began to notice the changes on the show. BET had worked it's magic (black magic that is) on the scripts. Then here comes season five. Some of the characters are gone, we now have a character named Chardonnay.

Really BET? CHARDONNAY? 

The fifth season premiered to less viewers (about 5.3 million) and BET piled on the drama, the racial stereotypes, and had even added in a "tragic mulatto" storyline (by way of Jason Pitts). Some episodes had gotten better, but I personally had already clocked out and no longer cared if I missed an episode of The Game.

Now, on to the big fish. The news of the day. The main topic of this post.

Tia Mowry and Pooch Hall--fired from The Game? Melanie and Derwin? The two  central characters of the show? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO BET???

Pooch Hall has stated that he has been working on other projects and still wanted to work on The Game, so I believe that this dismissal may have been a slight shock for him. Read his most recent tweets!

As of this day and this hour, he hasn't tweeted since May 5th.

Radio personality DeDe McGuire actually broke the news yesterday evening from her Twitter, but it was Tia Mowry's tweet later last night confirming it that sent Twitter and news/gossip sites abuzz.

As stated before, Pooch Hall is working on another show and Tia Mowry is busy with motherhood and her reality show with her sister on the Style Network, so hopefully this won't be too detrimental to their careers and income. The show is already a sinking ship in my opinion, but I think BET basically just took it upon themselves to pick up the iceberg and just drop it on top of the ship by firing these two. I tried to avoid a Titanic joke, but there was no way around it.

I know for sure that I certainly will not be watching next season and that I now have absolutely no reason to watch BET anymore. Get it together Black Entertainment Television!!!

Sources

"Derwin and Melanie" Photo: Obtained from http://bossip.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/image_1326280348_the-game-melanie-and-derwin.jpg?w=339

Photo from Supernatural series: Obtained from http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp254/ecat_chen/707/SupernaturalS07E07720pHDTVx264-IMMERSE05817120-04-28.jpg

The Game Season 4 Ratings: http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/12/the-game-bet-ratings/

The Game Season 5 Ratings: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/11/season-5-of-the-game-premieres-to-5-3-million-viewers-on-bet/116205/

Main sources of info: 

Global Grind: http://globalgrind.com/entertainment/tia-mowry-pooch-hall-leaving-the-game-details

Necole Bitchie: http://necolebitchie.com/2012/05/15/tia-mowry-pooch-hall-will-not-return-to-the-game/

Screenshots from the Twitter pages of Tia Mowry and Pooch Hall.