This N' That....

Yes, I am a bad girl. I admit it. But really and truly, when I am away, I really miss you guys. I wish there was some kind of device that would write all of the Black Cinema thoughts in my head automatically....but alas, there isn't, so you are stuck with Number One Supreme Slacker, aka Ms. Invisible. But please know that I love you, and your comments make life worth living! haha

OK, had to come back about this "Uptown Saturday Night" thing. For those of you that have been paying attention, that is one of my favorite films of all time, Black or non. I wrote maybe about a year ago that Will Smith would be in the remake. 15 years ago, that wouldn't have been such a major disappointment as it is now. But then this added tidbit--Denzel Washington is rumored to be in talks to be in it as well. Of course, Denzel is probably playing the Poitier role, and Will the Bill Cosby one, but wouldn't it be so much more interesting if it were the other way around?

Okay, my seventh husband The RZA aka Bobby Digital seems to be adding to our future family fortune by getting into filmmaking. I laughed my ass off when I saw this uber-serious profile on him from The New York Times, I guess to give someone even a small clue who doesn't know anything about him (aka YT):

As founding father of the hard-core Staten Island rap collective Wu-Tang Clan, RZA (pronounced "rizza," given name: Robert Diggs) conflated the spiritual enlightenment found in '70s kung fu movies with racially incendiary teachings from the Five-Percent Nation of Islam, adding to the mix references to Taoism and comic books, numerology and snippets of mafia don movie dialogue, articulating a plaintive yet hard-bitten ghetto cri de coeur.

Huh? Anyway, I never really considered Wu-Tang "hard-core", but thanks for the name pronunciation clarification.

I know Sergio wrote a snippet on this already, and I tweeted about this the other day (the picture above came up when I image Googled NAACP--it seemed apropos). How the holy f*ck can the NAACP Image Awards nominate Michael Jackson's Funeral as "Best Variety Show"? If I wasn't already done and buried with them for almost a decade, this f*cktastic f*ckery would have definitely sealed the deal anyway. The founders of the NAACP must be spinning in their graves at 100 mph. Oh, and by the way, they also nominated Sandra Bullock as "Best Actress". And here I was thinking she wasn't Black the whole time...silly me.

How many of you saw the film "Four Brothers"? I did, just to see Andre 3000, who, by the way, was a complete and total dud in it. I do not believe acting is among his many talents. But Tyrese, whom I normally don't pay much attention to, looked eyeball-breakingly foin in it. Good try, but really, do we honestly need a sequel? That is what I have been reading. I vote no.

Speaking of stupid sequels, Laurence Fishburne is doing one for "Predator" 23 years after the first. Really, Larry? Mortgage payments are a bitch, I tells ya....more sigh inducing tidbits; Rashida Jones signed on to do the film based on Facebook (yes, you read right), and someone had the nerve to approach the Hughes Brothers to do a fourth installment of "Pirates Of The Caribbean". Thank the Lord they did not jump at that, but is anyone looking forward to "The Book Of Eli"? I am curious, strictly because of the Hughes Brothers, cause as far as Denzel goes, it looks like the same ol' same ol'. I hope I'm wrong.

How Bout Some Trailers?

Okay, regarding my last post--I thought Darktown Strutters would be interesting based on it's premise, but I must say I did not love it. At all. Any movie that randomly has The Dramatics pop up in a jail cell in full costumes doing a full performance with Temptations-like choreography gets a huge side-eye from me. Why were movies that weren't dramas in the 70's so effin weird? I know it was a time of rampant drug use, and a lot of films from that decade were hard evidence of that...from "Tommy" to "Heavy Traffic" to "Darktown Strutters" just to name a few--they were just so disjointed, so horribly edited and all over the place with zero cohesiveness. *sigh* Thank goodness for Fred Williamson...

Anyway, let's view a few trailers, yes? These films at least have a linear storyline, but let me know if you find them interesting (personally I can't wait to see "Brooklyn's Finest"). I will get around to writing about the zillions of films I've seen in the past month and a half.

First up, Chris Rock's remake of "Death At A Funeral", with Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Martin Lawrence, and my next husband, fine ass James Marsden.. I've had the original on Tivo for the longest, but still can't get myself to watch it....I would like to see the original before viewing this one with a Black cast-I'd like to see if they made it any different--or better:




Then we have this one, which is not really a Black film, but Sanaa Lathan (down with the swirl once again) was tweeting about how "proud" she was of it. When I first read about this film a year ago, it also got the side-eye from me, and after viewing this trailer, it now has a bigger one; Michael K. Williams from "The Wire" nonwithstanding. I dunno...:




I will be working with the publicity team on this one, so expect to see more about this film--hope you likey, at least for the novelty of seeing Wesley Snipes with back-length cornrows..."Brooklyn's Finest" (Michael K is in this one too, as well as The Cheadle, who I always like a lot more in crime thrillers):




Btw, here is a clip from Darktown Strutters; watch at your own risk (and yes, that is Roger Mosely...the chick is actually the first Black Bond girl for you trivia buffs):

For Halloween: "The Black Exorcist"....

I've heard of this movie, "Abby", aka "The Black Exorcist" (not to be confused with "The Blaxorcist") for years, but have never been able to find it. I've learned you can watch some very classic and rare Black films online (though I can't say where, I don't want them to be taken down). If you snoop even a bit, I'm sure you can find them.

So I watched "Abby", and it is an absolute miracle that they did not get sued by anyone and everyone associated with "The Exorcist". Made in 1974, it was snapping on the heels of the original. But maybe once they saw the film, and how horribly ridiculous it was, they probably just sucked their teeth and kept on stepping. Carol Speed's laughable demonic "possession" and preschool lip-syncing is source of hilarity, as well as making the viewer indulge in much lip twisting and head shaking at the scenery chewing performances.

William Marshall, better know as "Blacula" (who would have absolutely been my husband had I been of age in the 70's), tries to keep the proceedings above middle school stage play level, but unfortunately, fails miserably. The 4th rate acting, paper thin plot, mangled editing and cinematography, and rip-off storyline are beyond saving. But I say watch it anyway, just to see what Black horror films were about back in the day. This is the synopsis from IMDB:

"A possession film about a marriage counselor who becomes possessed by a Demon of Sexuality, when her father in law, an Exorcist, freed it while in Africa. He returns home, along with his son and a policeman to perform an African Exorcism on her."

Alrighty, then. Here is a sampling:



UPDATE: Just read this from You Tube...

Obscure 1974 blaxploitation "Exorcist" rip-off flick from Kentucky-bred zero budget auteur William Girdler ("Grizzly"). Warner Bros sued over the similarities, and the movie was quickly withdrawn from circulation shortly after its release. Jesus, what a bunch of killjoys! Starring blaxploit regular Carol Speed as Abby, and co-starring William Marshall - esteemed African American stage actor, Mr. "Blacula", and future "Pee Wee's Playhouse" King of Cartoons (one of 'em, anyway). The movie may be no great shakes, but it beats the hell out of 99% of the leaden Italian "Exorcist" rip-offs that followed and where were the damn lawyers then, huh?

Movie Review: Black, Sexy, Love--- Finally!

It has been discussed on this blog several times how Black sex/love/intimacy is rarely shown in films, especially in a realistic way.... really maybe not since the Blaxploitation of the 70's. Well, the film I am reviewing in this post certainly leaves those longings in the dust.

Had the pleasure of seeing "A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy", and wowee. I. Freaking. Loved. It. I don't even know where to start.

It is a series of vignettes that show the perils and beauty of love and sex with several Black couples; the adulterous situation, the selfish lover, the love relationship that hits you out of the blue.

It opened with an "O" face shot, and a scene I wasn't too crazy about called "Reciprocity", in which a woman gets hers (downtown ifyaknowwhatimean) and doesn't want to reciprocate. "Oh boy, here we go", I thought, rapidly losing interest and thinking that this must be a typical, low budget outlook on Black male/female relationships...but after that--just wow. The next story, called "Her Man", involves a couple--the man being married, and the woman--being the mistress--making the mistake of starting to care too much, and making the inevitable demand for him to spend more time with her and being jealous of wifey. It is so real, so natural, and rang so true you it makes you think "damn, they really got this". It made me super curious to see the rest....and no matter who you are, you will find a strong affinity for at least one of these vignettes.

Some of the movie shows the beautiful, powerful side of Black love, some of it shows the ugliness, which is just as powerful, sometimes even more so if you let it be so. It is intelligent, humorous, and yes, sexy and erotic. Sometimes it was so sexy that it made Ms. Invisible hot in her seat, but I won't go much further into detail as sometimes Poppy Invisible, my father, peeks in here once in a while. My favorite is the story "Tonight, Part II", and I immediately had an hour long crush on both the male and female leads. It was absolutely affecting in it's magnetism...it shows how the power of silent, unknown attraction can be so mighty in it's power and emotion, it just makes all logic go out the window. You are completely out of your realm and comfort zone, but you are almost Zen in your focus that all you want is this person, and nothing else is really as important.

It made me remember one comedian, who I was meeting for the first time to set up a styling session, was at a radio station giving an interview. While I was sitting there in reception listening to him talk, I found myself becoming immensely attracted to him, I don't even know why. He looked out of the glass a couple times, but nothing seemed to register on his face--I didn't even think that he saw me. When the interview was over, he promptly came out, walked straight over and laid his body on the back of the sofa I was sitting on, and just started touching my neck and arm, real soft. In a normal situation that would have completely freaked me out, but at that time it felt like he should be doing it--and he did it before he even said hello to me.


"Tonight, Part II" is a story like that, and you drink in all of it with all of your senses. Director Dennis Dortch has one hell of an amazing eye for just beautifully sensual shots, focus, and colors that make you just feel it in your bones. Even the sound of beads clicking in someone's cornrows, or the way someone's t-shirt fits looks/sounds/feels sexy. You smell the leather in the seats of someone's car, feel the texture of the sheets on the bed. Even the music is completely on point. The characters were all amazing, in natural acting ability and to look at. I just hate when some people say "oh, they're light, or have good hair, or whatever else, so they must be 'mixed'". Black people are the most diverse in looks on earth, sometimes even in the same family, and Dortch shows us in every shade, color, and hair texture, which I loved. The girl in "Tonight", Mylika Davis, was particularly beautiful to me; young, petite, with a perfect jewel of a dark brown face. Her love interest, Jerome Hawkins, just might be my sixth husband :-)


The last vignette "American Boyfriend", focusing on interracial Black and Asian culture, was sort of a weak finish, but is still miles ahead of any Black Cinema I've seen for months. From what I've read, the stories are supposed to take place in Los Angeles, but everything had the look, feel, and flavor of New York to me.

This is a breath of fresh air movie about real Black love and sexual situations, sometimes almost graphic in it's rawness. It opens you up like a flower, and makes you think about past, present, and future love/lovers. Unless you are just the biggest prude ever, once you finish watching this movie you will be ready to smash anybody with a pulse, haha! It was released yesterday on DVD, Ms. Invisible says check it out, stat.




ANNOUNCEMENT: Black Cinema At Large is giving away a bootleg-free DVD copy of "A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy" in a little, bitty contest. Tell me what you think is the sexiest Black Cinema scene ever and why--my favorite will win this wonderful movie (we may have to vote!) just in time for Valentine's day. Leave it in the comments folkses-contest ends Saturday at midnight, PST!

Off Topic, But My 2 Cents....

Hey all. I'll just make a quick mention of The American Music Awards, which I honestly haven't watched in years. I've always found it too pop-ee, too Billboard 100 for my taste. I watched it last night from a kind of sociological point of view, and here are a few of my observations:


-Chris Brown still looks like he's 13 years old


-Speaking of Chris Brown, Rihanna--the metallic eye patch? I mean really. The whole "edgy" thing is starting to look more than forced.

-Neyo is doing his damnedest to channel Micheal Jackson; Mike should be asking for royalties


-Pink has my respect all day; she is very obviously in it for her love of music, and she killed it in her performance

-All of Beyonce's songs sound exactly the same to me, but Lord knows she can dance her azz off, I can't even front.

-My husband the RZA was looking extra finger lickin' delicious.

-Mariah Carey is about as exciting as an ingrown toenail, and just as painful to watch. Is she still using the wind machines to blow her hair--even on live TV? Give it up, girl!


-The B-52's should be at the courthouse at this very moment filing a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus and her crew for stealing their sh*t--it's just plain robbery. And nobody's father should be looking all blowdried and leathered out with a huge soul patch (I'm talkin' to you Billy Ray Cyrus). The "high concept" behind her performance/song was completely laughable.

-Poor Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots). He used to be on track to be the biggest rock star in the world...now he's like the embarrassing uncle at the family gatherings--you know his azz is gonna get fucked up and cause a scene, and there is nothing you can do to stop it, but you invite him anyway cause he's really harmless, and inside you love him and feel a bit sorry for him.


-The Eagles were eligible for an award?


-Christina Aguilera's singing grates every single, solitary pore and fiber of my soul.

-There was a noticeable absence of Neo-Soul, or really any real soul, period.

-I still have absolutely no idea who Taylor Swift is.


That is all.

This N' That....

Okay folks; please tell me you saw "Blackula" and "Scream Blackula Scream" last weekend on TV One. If not, for shame! :-)

I have a laundry list of things going on in Black Cinema--some of it good, some of it pure f*ckery.

First up this one:

Director John Singleton is no longer attached to direct the feature film adaptation of the 80s TV series “The A-Team,” according to Variety.

The filmmaker reportedly balked at Fox’s attempt to delay the long-gestating project for another year to allow more time for script development. The project had already been delayed multiple times due to script issues.

The Web site ComingSoon.net claims Fox is really pushing back the film to make room for an “Alvin and the Chipmunks” sequel. In either case, “The A-Team” release date has been moved from June 12, 2009 to June 11, 2010.

From IW: An A-Team remake with an underdeveloped script? Say it aint so! You know your movie is beyond tired when they push it back in favor of "Alvin & The Chipmunks 2". This is about the 99th project I've read about John Singleton starting and not finishing. 'What the problem is?' as Madea would say.


In other completely unnecessary remake news is this (thanks sergio!):

Having most recently played a dirty cop in "Lakeview Terrace," Jackson is set to star as a bad guy again in Columbia Pictures' remake of Berry Gordy's 1985 cult classic "The Last Dragon."

Jackson will play Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, a role played in the original by the late Julius Carry, whose spiel included asking ego-driven questions like "Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?" Each time his gang of thugs answered, "Sho 'nuff!"

From IW: This one is co-produced by my fourth husband The RZA, which upon this news, may become one of my ex-husbands. At the very least, they should get Taimak to play Leroy Green again-he looks just as good as he did in 1985, for reals.



Speaking of Sergio and Samuel Jackson, here is Sergio's take on the upcoming movie "Soul Men" after viewing a preview screener:


'I saw Soul Men this morning at a screening and I'm sorry to say that it's shame that Bernie Mac is not around anymore because he'll never have another opportunity to make make up for the dreadful mess this film is.

It's an abysmal, unfunny, extremely tasteless movie that will stun you speechless when you see how bad it is. It's without question one of the worse films Ive seen this year, somewhere in the top three. There wasn't a single laugh or chuckle from the people in the theater when I saw it. Just stunned silence.

There's NO comic timing or pacing and dialogue, in which literally every other word is the F word, it's clumsy, awkward and just plain painful to hear. (Remember the really awful F word heavy dialogue in Eddie Murphy's Harlem Nights? Well this is just as bad or even worse) Bernie Mac is simply just plain not funny at all throughout the entire the film. I understand that he was ill while making the film and that could explain why he's somehow "off his game" in this film. Samuel L. Jackson literally just screams (as he usually does) his way through this film, yet another crappy film in his long list of crappy films that he's made in his career. And wait till you see the final big supposedly comic highlight towards the end involving Bernie, Jackson and John Legend. You (and the audience) will be astounded by how awful and tasteless it is.

Every cliche you've ever seen before about two old partners who can't stand each other but get back together (like The Sunshine Boys) are used but even more wretchedly than before. And of course there's the obligatory super nerdy white guy who wants to be cool to make black audiences feel superior to a white man because he "ain't got no rhythm".

And there's also this pathetic far-from-comic over stereotyped character of this would-be rapper/drug dealer in the film who appears in a couple of scenes who is SO painful to watch that I wanted to walk out every time he appeared in screen.

(One good thing in the entire film, maybe, for guys of my generation is a brief cameo appearance early in the film by the legendary adult film actress of the 70's and 80's Vanessa Del Rio but of course she wasted too)

What even bothers me more is while watching it is that once again I felt that black cinema is in very sorry state of affairs. Medicine for Melancholy excluded, if this is what we're getting then there just shouldn't be any more black films, period. I would be happy and content just watching comic book superhero movie.

Next time I see a film with the credits: "Directed by Malcolm D. Lee" I'm heading for the hills.'

From IW: Ummm...dang. I'll reserve judgement until I see it (won't be paying tho). I'm seeing it cause of Isaac Hayes and the association with Malcolm Lee, whose career is starting to look a little dicey, at the very least.


Speaking of dicey moves, there is an online petition to get rid of The Cheadle in "Ironman" and bring back Baby Wipes Howard. Yes, really. If you want to see it, or heaven forbid sign it, you can click HERE.


In non-Black Hollywood news, I am really sad to see that Joaquin Phoenix has decided to quit acting for good. I saw "We Own The Night" last night, and really enjoyed it. It was a great cops and criminals action/suspense thriller, in which he co-starred with Robert Duvall and Mark Wahlberg. With so few real actors around, and folks like Robert Duvall and DiNiro getting older, it is sad to see someone like Joaquin leave, while Marky Mark keeps making movie after movie. I've always found that dude so wooden, and he looks and acts exactly the same way in every single film he's in. *sigh*


In other news, Elijah Kelley seems to be venturing from his brand new career in acting to writing/directing already. After getting rave reviews in "Hairspray" and landing a role in one of the supposed 3 biographical films of Sammy Davis, Jr. (what happened to those anyway?) he debuts with a project called "Who Killed Bishop Brown". It is described thusly:

'A scandalous romp filled with church politics, sexual tension and the untimely death of Bishop Brown. Kelley capitalizes on a style of filmmaking that has become very popular in the black community - a combination of drama, comedy, music, and morality.

Okay, here is the deal. Tyler Perry is to aspiring young black filmmakers what Quentin Tarrantino was to young white filmmakers a decade and a half ago. You can see Perry's influence throughout "Who Killed Bishop Brown." The dialogue, filmmaking and even casting choices mimic Perry’s production style.

“Who Killed Bishop Brown” is full of self-righteous dialogue, preachy messages and clumsy blocking. But it also features realistic characters and an ability to connect with the audience in a way put them in, in this film with Christian overtones.'




From IW: I'm sure Sergio will be thrilled to read this. Above is the trailer for it.....by the way, I got the info about the film from a site I discovered called "I Love Black Movies" which is filled Black Cinema movie reviews from folks that pretty much dedicate their lives to Black film and it's offshoots. It is definitely worth taking a gander, imho.

Another interesting blog worth wondering over to is IWBCAL commenter Camille Acey's "Adventures in Wheelville". In it she chronicles her life and times of being a former Brooklyn chick and now currently a one year resident of Radovljica, Slovenija (?!). Loves it.

Please check out my homie schlomie pop culture writer Michael G. Gonzales' co- project, "The Southernist". On it he describes his experiences with such elegant and intricate delicacies as chitlins and grits, haha!



Speaking of Mike G., he wrote this great comment on my post about Fred Williamson making Black Caesar:

[black caesar] is one of my favorite flicks; and the soundtrack is killer. i interviewed fred once and he told me james brown was mad, because he wanted to play the lead.

reminds me of when i read that originally, mgm wanted to cast sammy davis to play shaft...now, picture that.

From IW: James Brown as Black Caesar and Sammy Davis Junior as Shaft? I think God was directly involved in bypassing those two calamities, for sure.


And finally a huge big up to Reelblack's Michael Dennis winning CNN's IReport Film Festival. He says:

'I would like to personally thank everyone who viewed and voted for our film, which follows my grandmother's trek to vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 Pennsylvania Primary. It's been an amazing run. Since debuting at Fancypants Cinema and on Reelblack TV, we've been invited to screen in festivals in New York, LA and Charlotte, NC. The film will also screen the week of October 28 on BET-J's BLACK STORIES (along with Philly filmmaker Bianca White's short). All the comments are appreciated but there's so much more work to do. I chose the title The 13th Amendment to remind folks that there wasn't always a time when all Americans had the right of freedom. One of our greatest privileges is the Right To Vote. Please do it on November 4.'

From IW: Right on. If you'd like to see the short, you can view it HERE.

Eff Off Blogger!

Dang, as soon as a Negress finally says she's gonna post regularly again, Blogger's "robots" mistakenly mark my site as a spam site (?!) and I'm locked out of my own sh*t for days! Thin ice, Blogger, thin ice! Don't ever wonder why people are flocking to Wordpress, OK?

Anyhoo--my ex-husband Morgan Freeman was involved in a serious car accident with "an unidentified woman". I'll leave that part alone and wish him a speedy and complete recovery. He is definitely a Black Cinema treasure, and I only want the best for him. Be blessed Morgan!


Update: Why on God's green earth would Morgan be driving a 1997 Nissan Maxima? This "unidentified woman" thing is starting to make more sense. Ingognito anyone?

Today In B'Days....

The hotness, the fineness, the lick-able (okay I'll calm down) Chiwetel Ejiofor is 34.

Today In B'Days

Morgan Freeman, my geriatric ex-husband (alas, he finally got too "mature" for me) is 71.

I wish I can show you guys a clip from "Street Smart", which is by far my favorite Freeman role, where he played a pimp (he was nominated for an Oscar for it, but didn't win), but there were none to be found. So here he is in a movie that seems to be a staple on many a man's favorite movie list; "The Shawshank Redemption". It is a perfect snapshot of how absolutely amazing he can be as an actor.

This N That

Hello all. I really missed you guys. I'm sorry I haven't been posting, but yours truly has been really busy. Unfortunately, it isn't spending lottery winnings. *sigh*. But I will tell you I am glad to be home, and have never been so happy to see palm trees in my whole life...

I'll put up a post tonight, but probably won't be able to answer your comments till tomorrow. And to my Old School Friday fam, I'm back in action this week.


I haven't been on the blogs, but how can you not hear about that Mimi/Nick Cannon debacle? And I thought he was lucky playing Arthur Ashe. That mofo has hit the lotto! All I can say is good luck to both of them. And oh, Nick's ding ding must be made of gold and diamonds.


While traveling I was watching CNN in an airport, and lo and behold there was an interview with Sidney Poitier by Larry King. Only Larry King can make a conversation with one of the most historic black actors ever seem like a calculus class. So freakin' boring!

There was one interesting tidbit, tho. Sidney told a story about how he came upon his first audition cause he saw an ad in a newspaper. He thought it was just a regular job, cause it was posted next to the dishwasher jobs he was looking at. Anyhoo, he goes to the audition, and he doesn't even know how to read! It is hard to believe, as one would think Sidney came out of the womb reading a book. The audition guy basically kicked him out and told him he was an idiot.

Sidney left, but the more he thought about it, the more pissed he became until he was enraged. He was angry that this man would treat him that way, and vowed that he wouldn't let the experience define who he was. He was not going to let this man think he was justified in saying he was a horrible actor, and a horrible person, and set out to prove him wrong. I think that mission was definitely accomplished.


For my Philly folkses:


Reelblack’s BEST IN PHILLY SHORT FILM SHOWCASE

Reelblack concludes it’s Fifth Season with a special program showcasing some of the best new work by filmmakers of color in the Tri-state area.

Come for an exciting night of narrative, documentary, PSA, music video and animation by filmmakers Shannon Newby, Fantz T. Excellent, Nadine Patterson, Patrick Pierre Belinda M. Wilson, Rick Morris, Bryan Green, Roz Fulton, Akbar Azziz & Mamie Young, Tim Greene, Mike D. Ben Foster and Joseph H. Lewis III & Eugene Haynes. Discover the next wave of visual storytellers raised on cheesesteaks, pretzels and Schuylkill punch.

Tuesday May 13 at 7pm (doors 6:30) INTERNATIONAL HOUSE 3701 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-387-5125 Admission $5 students & members/ $7.00 Adults. Visit http://www.reelblack.com/ for details.



For the ladies (and some men); click HERE to read my beloved Sergio's interview with my fifth husband Chiwetel Ejiofor.



And finally, can someone please, please, please tell Hillary to go the f**k away? You know your campaign is in trouble if there are Barak Obama signs posted all over Texas (like I saw earlier this week). Texas for chrissakes!

Her arrogance is maddening...basically in my eyes it boils down to her thinking "I know they are never gonna make this ni**er president, not in this lifetime. So I'm gonna keep going until everyone else sees it too! I could give a sh*t if it completely implodes the Democratic party."

The problem is, some very important people are starting to make rumbles that it is time for her to kick rocks. Even ol' Bill looked like he was chewing on crushed glass during her Indiana victory speech. And if they keep allowing her to hang around, and if she or that mummy that is McCain wins the presidency, then this country deserves everything it gets, straight up.

Today In B'Days

My second, third, and fourth husband, Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock is 36.

Random Movie News....

Haven't seen David Alan Grier in a film for a while, maybe this is why. From Comedy Central:

Fresh off announcing its 2008-2009 development slate, Comedy Central has given a pick-up to "David Alan Grier's Chocolate News" (working title), a fake magazine show hosted and executive produced by David Alan Grier, which will premiere during the first quarter of 2009. The network has also greenlit an "uber-spoof" of the reality genre.

Hosted by "In Living Color" alum and Tony Award-nominee David Alan Grier, "David Alan Grier's Chocolate News" makes no apologies for its biased approach as it investigates inherently urban pop culture topics such as an operation to save black and white conjoined twins, steroid use in Little Leaguers and a rapper's public service announcement gone awry. The point-of-view is decidedly from an African American perspective and everyone and everything is fair game for Grier and his regular team of investigators.

From IW: Gotta give it to him. He's always popping up somewhere. Gettin' a little grey around the edges, tho, yes?



For My Philly Folks:

The late Ivan Dixon, star of the classic NOTHING BUT A MAN and director of THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR.

Be sure to tune in to tonight's episode of REELBLACK TV. We have exclusive interviews with actor/filmmaker IVAN DIXON (Nothing But A Man), who passed away last Sunday at the age of 76. Also on this weeks show is poet SAUL WILLIAMS (The Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust), who comes to Philly's Trocadero Theater on April 11 plus a rare performance clip of Grammy winner JOHN LEGEND.

Reelblack TV airs at 6PM tonight on Comcast 54/DUTV with repeats Saturday and Sunday at 7AM. Don't get Comcast? Watch "best of" clips at http://youtube.com/user/reelblack

This has nothing to do with Black Cinema, but why the f**k is Marlon Jackson stocking groceries at Von's in San Diego? The whole family should be chipping in just so no mess like that will ever pass our eyeballs in print. Just wrong in every single way.

Anyhoo, back to the movies. This year’s jury for TAA is a notable group of industry professionals – actors, writers, producers, and directors – who will review script excerpts and work samples prior to the Festival. The 2008 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Narrative jurors are Adam Beach, Joy Bryant, Damon Dash, Kate del Castillo, William Greaves, Jessica Hagedorn, Chris Lee, Anthony Mackie, Jesse L. Martin, and Patricia Riggen; the 2008 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Documentary jurors are Neda Armian, Marysol Castro, and Sheila Johnson.

It is good to see such a diverse panel, but why is Joy Bryant a judge? No disrespect, but hmmmmm.

Speaking of The Tribeca Film Festival:

David Mamet's "Redbelt," starring Chiwetel Ejiofor ("American Gangster") will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Ejiofor is joined by Emily Mortimer, Alice Braga, Tim Allen and Joe Mantegna. The film will serve as the Gala premiere of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival on April 25. The festival runs April 23-May 4.

In "Redbelt," according to Tribeca Film Festival, "Mike Terry (Ejiofor) is the chief instructor at the Southside Jiu-jitsu Academy. Although a talented fighter, he refuses to compete in professional bouts. Instead, he trains dedicated students in the art of self-defense: bodyguards, cops, and soldiers. At his brother-in-law's club one evening, Mike saves famous action star Chet Frank (Allen) from a severe beating. His defense of Frank leads to a job in the film industry, but other events conspire to force Mike to participate in a prizefight."

From IW: Mmmmm, Chiwetel.

At Least A Brotha Is Producin'

Hmmm. I dunno. But yall know I love The Cheadle. Good to know he's spreading out. From Black Talent News:

Don Cheadle is on-board to produce a TV series based on "Crash," the 2004 film which picked up three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Cheadle, who starred in the original film, has been named as an executive producer, along with original writer and director Paul Haggis. Starz will air 13 one-hour episodes to premiere in August.

Will and Wayans.....

Okay....I wasn't gonna post today cause I am way into what's going on with my former husband Obama...I told folks 4 years ago that he was my fourth husband, but I guess that's not gonna happen now, haha.

Anyhoo--I picked up on a couple of semi-interesting Black Hollywood tidbits:

I know there are a lot of you into "G.I. Joe" and whatnot....Marlon Wayans of all people is going to play "Ripcord". He seems a bit "slim" for that part, but that is probably just the beginning of the problems with that casting choice.

By the way, he is one of only two Americans that are presently cast for the "Real American Hero" movie.

It looks like they are gearing up for an "I Am Legend 2" while the first one isn't even cold in it's grave. The author of the book, Richard Matheson, signed off on making a sequel. That dude is still alive? Damn. This is the fourth time dude has been paid by Hollywood for the same book. I bet he's dancing in his wheelchair. Or oxygen tank.

Of course, if the movie comes to light (which you know it will, it's a goldmine), will they bring Will back to life and say he escaped his horrific ending? Hmmmm.

Today In B'Days

He of the fondness for open shirts, Gary Dourdan, is 41.

Mos Def, who used to be my 4th husband (now downgraded to 8th ex-husband) is 34.

Unrelated to black film, but I just felt like letting you know anyway: Jermaine (Greasy Raisin) Jackson is 53. Time to let the flat-top go.

Gary is in a film that played at the American Black Film Festival called "Black August", the story of imprisoned Black Panther and Angela Davis' boyfriend, George Jackson. For those of you not familiar with this bit of off the hook history, when our folks were true revolutionaries, you may want to give this one a rent. Angela Davis is played by somebody named Tina Marie Murray (?!).