Baltimore, Maryland has a lot of nicknames. B-More. Charm City. The City That Reads. Bodymore, Murderland. Monument City. The lively city has given the world Baltimore club music, former Vice President Spiro Agnew, David Byrne, Parker Posey, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Upton Sinclair and filmmaker John Waters, and it was officially established on this day in 1729. Perhaps the city's greatest cultural contribution (in this millennium, anyway) was providing a setting and inspiration for "The Wire," the shockingly gritty and realistic HBO series that portrayed the struggle between law enforcement, government and the drug lords who threaten everyday life. It was an incredibly complex, subtle show that built a remarkably deep tapestry of characters and locations that reflected Baltimore better than any piece of fiction has ever depicted a city (for better or worse, of course).
"The Wire" also contributed to the music world, relying a great deal on local musicians and rappers to provide the soundtrack for the show. It also employed a handful of people from the music world, including Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (who played a vaguely fictionalized version of herself) and the Wu-Tang Clan's own Method Man. Meth spent four seasons on the show as Melvin Wagstaff, Prop Joe's nephew who was known on the streets as "Cheese." It was the best performance in an excellent acting career for the rapper, who has also made memorable turns on HBO's "Oz," "CSI" and the Zach Braff film "Garden State." It's no wonder that Meth ended up being an excellent actor, as his rhymes have always been some of the most cinematic and character-driven in the entire Clan. Need proof? Check out his 1995 collaboration with Mary J. Blige "I'll Be There For You/ You're All I Need to Get By."
Every time Emmy nominations are announced, you hear about the snubs. You know, who should have made the list but got cut instead. So we decided it was time to take control of the Emmy nods, which were announced earlier today (
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