Ever wish that your favorite T.V. moments could last forever? Well, even if they can’t, sometimes we just ought to go back…back into time…and celebrate those moments! Presenting the top 10 moments in black television…
10. Dwayne Wayne interrupts Whitley Gilbert’s wedding & proposes to her
The silly Dwayne Wayne (played by Kadeem Hardison) who finally grew up and the princess Whitley Gilbert (played by Jasmine Guy) who couldn’t deny her love for him = some of the best television we ever did see. Who could forget how Dwayne Wayne whisked his great love, Whitley away from her wedding to someone else, as Whitley’s mother screamed to Dwayne: “die, just die?” Brilliant, hilarious, stuff.
9. Halle & Denzel’s Oscar night
Any night that the Oscar reaches for a stronger, more diverse group of winners seems like a memorable night to us. We just picked Denzel Washington’s and Halle Berry’s 2002 wins for this list because their night was especially unforgettable: they had both won the highest Oscar honors possible in the same night. Afterward, folks just couldn’t stop buzzing about everything from their speeches to Berry’s outfit.
8. Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game”
Lovers of basketball, and even those who never watched it, can never forget the 1997 NBA Finals, Game Five spectacle, in which Michael Jordan had played with a serious flu. Leading his team to victory with a three-pointer that gave the Bulls a lead just 30 seconds before the game ended, Jordan showed the world what an untouchable basketball champion looks like. (Take note, Kobe fans).
7. ‘Cosby Show’: Cliff Huxtable’s parents celebrate their 49th anniversary
Love had always been the undercurrent of the Cosby show, but the Huxtable family’s beautiful anniversary gift to Dr. Huxtable’s parents (from season two) left a warm—and lasting—feeling in our hearts!
6. Will & Jada Smith host the 2005 B.E.T. Awards
With the Smiths hosting the B.E.T. Awards Show, which was telecast on June 28, 2005, viewers enjoyed one of the most smoothly executed shows in the annual series. Of course, the two showcased how possible it is for a Hollywood couple to stay together and be in the spotlight at the same time!
5. Michael Jackson’s 14-minute music video
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video for the song of the same name was released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson. Once viewers feasted their eyes on on the brilliance that is “Thriller” to this day, they realized that Jackson had redefined music video standards for generations to come.
4. Barack Obama’s inauguration
The first African-American president of the United States left tears in everyone’s eyes as viewers watched his historical swearing into office in January of 2008.
3. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech
2. Dr. Huxtable’s “regular people” game. (Really, just all ‘Cosby’ episodes!)
1. The night of Obama’s November 2008 presidential win
Katie Couric said it best, when she said on the night of Obama’s election win in 2008: “no matter whom you voted for, you have to agree, this is an incredible milestone in the history of this country…a century and a half after the Constitution abolished slavery and guaranteed blacks the right to vote, four decades after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, voters have chosen our first African-American president.”
