Let Chappelle be Chappelle
Newsweek's got an interesting look online at the repeated delays in the next season of Chappelle's Show. From what I gather, it looks like it's nothing too disconcerting: Chappelle's overnight transition from cult hero to $50 million megastar has him a little rattled, and then Comedy Central's not thrilled that he wants to get even more extreme with his race-based humor.
So I'm not that concerned; the new material mentioned in the article sounds hilarious and, at the very least, up to Chappelle's already sterling standards. But the issue with the network has me a little piqued. Sure, the debate between the network hacks and the talent over crossing these imaginary taboos is as old as TV itself (and probably older), but that's what's special about Dave Chappelle. Every time I watch the show, I'm just stunned: I should be grossly offended, but I'm not. Remember the racial draft? Or the one where he brought in John Mayer to show that white people actually can dance? How about the one where Eddie Murphy's brother Charlie challenged Prince and his friends to a game of midnight basketball, and Prince showed up in purple from head to toe, and still beat the shit out of them? (OK, that last one wasn't about race, but man was that funny.)
So let me put it this way: If Dave Chappelle's going to cross the line, he would have done it twenty times already. Let the guy play.