Radar 1/25: The Pop Culture Periscope

Actor Anthony Mackie said two, simple words on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last Saturday: “Slow down.” His words were in response to a question about the relief efforts in Haiti. A native of New Orleans, Mackie’s family and friends were severely affected by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina five years ago, so he was speaking from experience. “An entire country fell apart,” he said. “Haiti has to rebuild schools and churches and all of their government structures. It’s going to be a long process, so let’s not forget about that 12 months from now.” Though Mackie was speaking of Haiti, specifically, his words also seemed rather fitting about life itself…and how we’re living. We all need to slow down a bit, to appreciate those we love and to count our blessings, often. Life has a tendency to move rather quickly. For instance, if you take a look at the calendar, you’ll realize that we are embarking on the last week of January 2010. Wasn’t that fast? To steal a line from Whoopi Goldberg, be sure to “take a little time to enjoy the view.” Monday, January 25 TV:“A Different World” begins its syndication run on TVOne, tonight at 10pm ET. Go Hillman!

Tuesday, January 26

Music Release: It’s been a quarter-century since Whitney Houston released her record-breaking, self-titled debut and today marks the release of “Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition.” The CD/DVD set includes the full album, remixes, special live performances and music videos. DVD Release: Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” is available on DVD today as is director/producer, Lee Daniels’ sleeper hit, “Tennessee,” starring Mariah Carey. Wednesday, January 27 Event: ESSENCE  hosts its inaugural Black Women in Music reception in Los Angeles tonight. Our guest of honor is none other than ESSENCE Music Festival headliner and nine-time Grammy winner, Mary J. Blige. Thursday, January 28 TV: Celeb hairstylist, Ted Gibson, offers our favorite wig-maven some tips on hair extensions. Tune into “The Wendy Williams Show” to watch as Gibson transforms a few, lucky audience members. (check your local listings). Friday, January 29

Birthday Wishes: Oprah Winfrey celebrates her 56th birthday today. Saturday, January 30 Events: The Roots take a break from their nightly gig at “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to kick off their sixth annual Jam Session in Los Angeles, just in time for the Grammys. Birthday Wishes: Singer, dancer and one of pop music’s original fly girls, Jody Watley, blows out 51 candles today. Sunday, January 31 Event: The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will air live from L.A.’s Staples Center at 8pm ET/PT, on CBS. Of course we can’t wait to see how many statues Beyonce walks away with (she’s up for 10!), but we’re most looking forward to experiencing the 3-D tribute that’s planned in honor of Michael Jackson. Birthday Wishes: Actress and activist, Kerry Washington, celebrates her 33rd birthday today.