A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy....

Hi all. I know I've been a bit absent this past week, but promise to bring you some movie news tomorrow. I am kicking my New Year off in a major and fantastic way with a new health regime (really just a step up from what I've been doing before) and celebrating this past week-end and today with all of it's glory and significance.

Today is my birthday, and what better present can I have than what's going on today? Obama knew what I wanted, lol. Note to George Bush: PLEASE let the doorknob hit ya where the good Lord split ya on your way out!!

Ahhh, yes, such A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy....**

Y'all enjoy it all day long...as for me, I will be on the highest mountain ranges of limoncello heaven!





**i'll be reviewing this film soon...

In A State Of Grace....

I wanted to write this yesterday, but I was in Limoncello Heaven, so it's a day late. Though I don't celebrate Thanksgiving out of respect for the Native Americans, I do think about what I am grateful for.

My goal for some time has been to live my life in a state of grace; completely calm, with security, peace, and beauty deeply permeating my life on the daily (which, of course, means not going near Black Friday).

I'm not completely there yet, but the drama in my life (of which used to be almost unbearable) is no more. My home exudes peace, and I can focus on things that are important to me. Music being one (I was listening to Sylvester yesterday--whatcha know 'bout dat?) and the importance of friendships being another.

this is sylvester, or one of his album covers to be exact

I am so very grateful for the amazing and awesome friends that I have, and even more grateful that my circle is increasing on a strong foundation. I even found one of my dearest long term friends I lost contact with on the internets last week, bringing my grace factor up 100%! Please check her out at her blog Sistah Goddess; she is living her whole life in grace in a major way.

And speaking of friendships and the internets, I thank the most high for your presence here. Taking the time to read my sometimes crotchety opinions, laughing with me at the ridiculousness, leaving amazing and well thought out comments--I really love you guys (and no it's not the vodka talking, that was last night!) Folks like Ms. Marvalus, sdg1844, Madame Z, and the Happy Go Lucky Bachelor seem like cousins that I like hanging out with--I just name them cause they are here every day without fail. For all of you that are here every day, or once a week, or once a month even, please know you are truly appreciated by the author of this blog.

Be blessed and prosper your azz off in the '09!

No Angels Crying Here, But Maybe Hell Has Frozen Over...

Don't have much to report, but I did see "Soul Men" last night....I don't know if it was the company, or the 2 Chambord martinis, but I actually enjoyed it! (sorry, Sergio). It was like pretty much all of Malcolm Lee's films; I go in braced for the worst, and come out thinking : "That wasn't so bad after all".

Of course, that is not exactly a resounding endorsement, but I am a pretty harsh critic sometimes, so I know a great amount of the readers here will have a lot a fun with it, as they are probably less judgemental. I actually laughed out loud a few times, and Samuel Jackson's yelling wasn't all that loud, or annoying, for once (that in and of itself is worth seeing). It was also good to see that John Legend must have a huge sense of humor, and I'm starting to think Sharon Leal might have a big career in front of her. I expected to see more of Isaac Hayes, but oh well.

I say see it with minimal expectations, and you'll have a good time. Or make it an absolute definite rent.

In response to reader/blogger Paula D.'s funny comment about why folks haven't gone to see this movie:

"Girl......you know that Soul Men is the number 1 bootleg on the streets.....lol!"


I will quote Undercover Black Man:

"Whenever you buy a bootleg DVD, an angel weeps." :^(






will answer your comments from the past couple of days later today folkses.......

This N' That

Lots of stuff floating around...hope I can remember everything; this post might get a bit long...

Let's start off with the Whitaker. Now, I've poked fun at the "beauty" of his wonderful face, but when it gets serious like this I am deeply disturbed. How does a studio deem him suddenly"too black and ugly" to be bankable? It's not like dude was Prince Charming and got into a car accident. How long has he been acting and in how many films? And by the way, didn't he win an Oscar? My loathing for the Hollywood powers that be increases by leaps and bounds daily. For the full story click here (thanks Sergio).

Anyhoo, Tyler Perry is being discussed again, this time for something besides the side-eye of his movies. Supposedly, he is being accused by The Writers Guild of America (not good) of unfair labor. They say he fired 4 writers from "House Of Payne" and "Meet The Browns" when they tried to negotiate a Writers Guild contract for the show. I have two questions...#1) how you gonna have a TV show with TV writers and not have them in a standard Hollywood union? and #2) "House Of Payne" actually has someone writing it on purpose? Yikes!

I wrote a little earlier that Will Smith was doing a sequel to "I Am Legend" and asked how that could possibly happen since dude was blown up into a million pieces at the end. Turns out it is a "prequel" that he has definitely signed on to do. Either way, I deem it as wholly unnecessary, since about 1% of sequels or prequels actually add anything to the original.


Here is the trailer for the movie "Notorious". *sigh* I still miss Big.



Speaking of beloved rappers, yesterday I was laid up due to an overindulgence of some blue Devil's brew drink called an "Adios", which is surely the work of the cheap liquor gods. I watched a ton of movies all day, one of which was "Poetic Justice" (starring Tupac) which was much better than I remembered. Back in the day, people thrashed it cause of Janet Jackson's performance, among other things. How ironic that now it plays better than practically all of the Black Cinema that has been produced in the past two years.

I also saw "Gang Related", which was much worse than I remembered (the soundtrack was bangin' tho!). It entailed Tupac staring off into space a lot and smoking a cigarette while being yelled at by Jim Belushi (who sometimes I want to poison) from beginning to end. The odd thing was, that in the beginning they had these warnings: SO: Shoot Out, BC: Bad Cop, SD: Shakedown (?!), and TU: Tupac. WTF? The very presence of Tupac is such a harmful entity in and of itself that it merits it's own warning? If anyone should have a warning attached, it's Jim Belushi for his non/over acting coupled with his constantly sweaty, non-showered look.


Niecey Nash's TV show "Do Not Disturb" was cancelled after just 3 episodes airing. Damn! Maybe now she'll get the hint that maybe, just maybe, she should expand her repertoire beyond "sassy, neck-rolling Black woman".


James Earl Jones is being honored with a SAG lifetime achievement award (btw, I hope many of you were able to catch the classic "The Great White Hope" with him in it on TV One over the weekend). Above is a pic of him and Cicely Tyson back in the day...he looks like he is proceeding to get his mack on, and I think Madonna's designer from way back stole that dress, yes? From Black Talent News:

James Earl Jones, whose acting prowess and iconic voice are world-renown, will receive the Screen Actors Guild’s most prestigious accolade—the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Jones will be presented the Award, given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession," at the "15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®," which premieres live on TNT and TBS Sunday, Jan. 25.

I know I am late, but I haven't posted much this week. A very peaceful journey to Paul Newman, who was not only one of my favorite actors, but possibly the finest looking white man that ever touched ground on Planet Earth. I loved him for the fact that he lived life to the fullest; racing cars, acting, and trying to make the world a better place with his humanitarianism, all while staying married to his wife and partner for decades, a complete rarity in Hollywood. He was definitely an icon in every sense.


And finally, thanks for the recognition of my peeps for my blog. I received an "Honest Blogger Award" from "The Happy Go Lucky Bachelor" and "Make Fetch Happen". High praise indeed, as both of these blogs are on my must reads. If "honest blogger" = "stays talking sh*t" then guilty as charged!

I also received the "Blogging Star Award" from my soul/blogging sister Ms. Marvelous of "The Marvalus View". We started blogging at about the same time, and if you can love someone you've never met, then that's how it is with me when I visit her blog. It always gives me comfort in it's honesty and consistency---I hope she never stops blogging...thank you, sis!

Some Mo' Bloggy Blog Love....

Yes, I know--my posts have been non-existent. I think every blogger goes through a period where they are ready to chuck their blog and just focus on the non-internet world. Some actually do it (R.I.P. Super Negro, The Black Actor, Babes, Bling and Booze, and most recently Black Kool *sniff*) .

Cause I know how disheartened I was when those blogs went away, I decided to keep it up, but needed a serious blog break with lots of beach and lots of dirty martinis and Sapporo. Mission accomplished, haha. I just wanted to give some love to some blogs that are my must haves, as well as one that I have recently discovered.

I think my regular readers know Madame Invisible loves a well made martini. One of the things I love even more is a witty and original Negro. My new blog crush is definitely the work of one: "The Black Market Index", relating the ebbs and flows of the stock market index to Negroid shenanigans and their ilk, like Whitney and Ray J. Loves it!

Photographer BygBaby is one of the most talented out there, but his hilarious crotchety ways, love of art & culture, and zero hesitation to call a mofo out makes him one of my favorite bloggers. If you haven't already, check him out at "BygBaby's Mindspill".

I always enjoy my time at "Maybe It's Just Me". Wonderman is an openly gay Black man, and he discusses the lifestyle, but also talks about current events, film, comic books etc. in a way that he seems to have read my thoughts. He is one great writer with a gift for expression, and can be pretty funny too.

Also on the Black Male tip (this is 4 for 4) is "The Happy Go Lucky Bachelor". I've noticed that he seems to be evolving from what a woman would give the side eye to in his unapologetic woman chasing to quite a thoughtful guy with an obvious love for women. Of course, that was probably the case from the beginning...and it is always nice to get a Black Man's perspective.

Let's get one in for the ladies, yes? I didn't think it was possible for someone to have an interesting blog about the oversaturated subject of fashion, but this beauty has somehow managed it, and thoroughly. In "Make Fetch Happen" Brigitte focuses on the Black situation in fashion and it's politics, both past and present, and makes it appealing to even those who aren't fashion maves. Go girl :-) Here is a picture from her blog. Recognize her?

And we all know that Thembi is always, always, always good for a laugh at "What Would Thembi Do?"

Speaking of laughs (or maybe tears), can someone please explain this travesty to me? I'll be waiting.

Hello There...

Hey y'all. I know my posting has been beyond wack, and I apologize. My counterpart at work is in Europe, and I have been buried. I planned on catching up over this past holiday weekend, but since I was visiting San Francisco, and the Invisible Poppy and the Invisible Friends are cocktail lovers and classic sh*t talkers like yours truly, I didn't get very far.

I want to say thank you so very, very much for leaving your comments, tho I haven't been able to respond to them. I love, love, love getting your feedback---I cannot stress that enough. Please be patient with me; I should be back to normal starting next week.

There's so much news that I want to write about for you guys--I am even dreaming about Black Cinema and it's offshoots. Last night I had a dream that I bummed a ciggie from Forest Whitaker, which is so very wrong for 2 reasons: 1) I would never bum a cig in public and 2) I would never, ever, have the nerve to get that close to Forest's face! haha!

Random Movie News....

Okay, your favorite movie bloggin' slacker actually has some movies news. But first--I saw the trailer of Spike's "The Miracle Of St. Anna". Wowzers. It looks epic and amazing--hope it turns out to be. If it is, hopefully this will be the beginning of new things for Black filmmakers; going outside of the tired, tired ass Hollywood ethnically cleansed system, and getting the money amounts that match their creativity and vision. Kudos Spike...there was a time that I never imagined I would say that about him, but he actually proved to be worthy of all the hype he generated when he first arrived on the scene. Here is one version of the trailer:

Thanks so much to Sergio who keeps feeding me information, despite my lack of blog posts as of late. He sent me this...could Spike's film be generating some actual interest that we existed before the 1970's?

Yesterday's AP story on George Lucas's Red Tails, which is in pre-production, focused on the Tuskegee Airmen who will be the subject of the film, revealing that John Ridley is writing the script. There's been some speculation that Lucas might be returning to the director's chair.

According to Lucasfilm, Lucas is NOT directing Red Tails. As originally reported by Variety, he is an executive producer, with Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson producing. (Variety first mentioned the project back in 2006.) Ridley is writing. No other attachments yet, they say.

They have not started talking to distributors and aren't yet talking about their plans for financing. Lucas could pay for the whole thing out of his own pocket and barely miss it, but that doesn't mean he will.

Like so many other projects, they will push production back if there is a SAG strike.
And for those who are asking if a story about World War II airmen facing racism might appeal to a certain Lucas pal named Spielberg, known to have made movies that touch on African-American history and the Second World War now and then, be assured, we checked with Lucasfilm and he's never been involved with the project.

From IW: So Spielberg makes films that "touch on African American history"? I must have missed those--if anyone knows what they are, please let me know. And I'm not talking about some movies he made sprinkled with some Black characters that have lines, and are not imperative to the film.. That white perspective is something else, I tell ya...lets hope a movie about The Tuskegee Airmen is not told from one, like so many other Black stories.

To my ATLians: You guys are lucky. Spaghetti Junction is doing some thangs down there. On Monday, they have the 5th annual Black Women Film Festival...and folkses, it's free: check it:

Urban Film Review
DATE:6/23/2008 Monday, June 23rd

TIME: 7:00pm
LOCATION: Woodruff Arts Center,1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

MORE: FREE! Arrive early, limited seating. Click HERE to RSVP

Call me crazy, but this sounds so effin' interesting to me--usually, I'm turned off on this kind of thing, but I am mildly fascinated by this concept. From reader Sienna:

Hi there

I don't know if I'm dating myself...but I remember when I used to watch the Family Feud back in the early '80s (when the host was Richard Dawson) there were so few black families on the Feud that when a family came on that looked like mine it was big news in my house.

Well times sure have changed. NBC is premiering Celebrity Family Feud next Tuesday at 8/7c and not only is Al Roker the host -- there are several black celebs and their families taking part: http://www.nbc.com/Celebrity_Family_Feud/

Teams include: Team Ice T (And where Ice T is, Coco surely follows), Team Symone (Raven Symone), and Team Mo’Nique (need I say more) and Team Fox (Vivica)
http://www.nbc.com/Celebrity_Family_Feud/video/#mea=265877

From IW: I was never into Family Feud...once I had it on in the background and it was on for 15 minutes before I realized that my own sister and assorted relatives were on it (no one bothered to tell me-WTF!?!), but I'm tuning in to this, for sure.

Reader cdnyc07 sent me this nugget from my beloved, Terrence Howard:

The Iron Man star, 39, has a brutally honest take on love. "I'm the most arrogant person you'll ever meet, and any woman I date has to know that," he says. "Life is too short to pretend that you're okay with somebody when you're not."

From IW: Just one more reason why he's the man of my dreams. Btw, Terrence, you might want to bring that down a peg or two....let us marinate in the picture from my Terrence Watch! Part Six:

And over to this:

Speaking of Terrence, thanks to the wonderful Villager, aka Wayne Hicks at the go-to Black news and happenings blog, Electronic Village. He awarded me with the "Share The Love Award". He said this:

'Invisible Woman, creator of Black Cinema At Large - A very creative sister with experiences, perspectives and commentary on all things related to Black folks in television and movies. I haven't quite figured out if she loves or hates Terrance Howard!'

From IW: haha--listen Villager, let's put it this way--don't ever look for a wedding invitation from the two of us in your mailbox! The "Share The Love" origins are this:

The 'Sharing The Love' Award, was created by Blogger Crystal at “Memoirs Of A Mommy” blog, in honor of donor who saved her one month old’s life a year ago. Crystal’s son Noah celebrated his first birthday thanks to someone who gave the gift of life.In Crystal’s own words, here are the rules of the Share the Love Award:

“Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog.

All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipients to do the same. I created this award in Honor Of The Donor That Saved Noah’s Life. I share this award with those of you whose love and friendship have enriched my life and made my world a better place.I hope by passing this award around the blogging world we can all help raise awareness of the need for Organ Donation.”

From IW: Duly noted.

And finally, here is a prime picture of the lovely Jamie Foxx back in the day. Enjoy the scenery while sipping your favorite martini...cheers!

BARACK BABY!!!!

Take that Hill o'beans!

Random Movie News....

Sorry for the light posting as of late--be patient with me....I've been on an extended stay in the South, and am going back home to Cali and have business to tie up for a minute. Let me put it this way, after experiencing life as a Southerner, I never want to be out of arm's reach of a Chambord martini (or beach) or the possibility of one ever again! No liquor on Sunday? GTFOH!
Some things have been piling up; of course Sergio has been sending me Black Cinema news, being the sweetie pie he is. I'll share a few of the film tips he sent over...first up, hopefully Isaiah Washington can recoup his film career (I felt he was too big for TV anyway). From The H'wood Reporter:

Isaiah Washington has booked his first major feature film role since exiting "Grey's Anatomy" in June.Washington will star opposite Forest Whitaker in "Patriots," the Dimension's sports drama being directed by Tim Story. Also joining the cast are Taraji P. Henson, Robbie Jones, Jackie Long, Eric Hill, Bow Wow, Lil' Wayne, Irma Hall, Jarod Einsohn, J.B. Smoove and Chyna McClain.

"Patriots," based on a true story, is set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Al Collins, a high school basketball coach in Marrero, La., assembled a team of players who previously attended five different schools and led them on the path to the state championships.

Washington will play an assistant coach at John Ehret High who helps lead the squad.

Robert Eisele ("The Great Debaters") and Greg Allen Howard ("Remember the Titans") wrote the script. Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold of IAM Entertainment and Stephanie Allain and Michael Beugg are producing. Shooting begins this week in New Orleans.


From IW: Not really my flavor, but good to see Isaiah working. And me love Jackie Long.

Next up for all of you aspiring filmmakers; here is an interesting way to gain some exposure;--it is also telling about how new media will be working in the millennium. From AOL:

Always the innovative filmmaker, Spike Lee's next project is somewhat unique in its own way.

The Hollywood Reporter states that Spike Lee has linked up with Nokia to direct a movie made with cell phone footage from everyday people in what he calls the democratization of film.

The film by Nokia Productions will consist of three acts. An 'assignment' for each act will be announced online and people will then have four weeks to produce their submission.

'You are seeing first hand the democratization of film," Lee said in a statement on Thursday. "Aspiring filmmakers no longer have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker.'

The film's theme will evolve around the way music tells the story of humanity, and people can submit text, music, video or images at certain times between now and August 21.

Nokia will choose 25 submissions, then people can vote online for their favorite for a top 10 from which Spike Lee will then choose the winning submission from each act.

Lee will direct the film through the Web site.

The final film with the three winning submissions and other contributed content will premiere later this year in Los Angeles.


From IW: And finally, a heartfelt thank you to Ms. Marvelous at "Opinionated Black Woman". She graced me with the Red Rose Award and this mini-poem:

A single Red Rose is a wonderful gift

It shows the heart

and gives the spirit a lift

I feel the same about her blog 100%. She puts her pure thoughts and feelings out there, no holds barred, and it is very brave. Kudos to her for making us all know life is universal, whether we care to admit it or hide it. Love ya, MM!

Update: Hey Atlanta fam! There is a free screening tonight of "Neo Ned" with Gabrielle Union that some folks say is very similar to the film that Halle is to star in about a woman with multiple personalities, one a racist. Here is the info:

Event Name: Urban Film Review
DATE: Tonight, Monday, April, 28th
TIME: 7:00pm
LOCATION: Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

MORE: FREE! Arrive early, limited seating.

Click here to RSVP

More Hollywood Shenanigans....

I'm only gonna do a couple of short posts today...it was my berffday weekend (me and the King!) and I have been practically bathing in lemondrop martinis, topped off with a Jim Beam-sponsered party last night. I don't know how those hillbillys drink that stuff. Needless to say today I am feeling the full effects of it.

I just wanted to mention this, tho, and was wondering if anyone else has noticed a trend. I saw the movie "Cloverfield" (which by the way, was a very fine piece of filmmaking.....if anyone tells you it wasn't off the hinges, they are too jaded to be going to the movies).

The previews were extremely interesting to me....there were four, and they all seemed to star the same white, bland, faceless, 23 year old girly-man as the main character. I'm serious. I could not tell if the dudes were different or the same. But what was more interesting/disappointing was that there seems to be a new type of "magical negro" sprouting.

For those of you who don't know, the "magical negro" in a film is a black character that exists solely to give the central or main white characters advice, life lessons, help, or come-uppance in a film. They seem to have no other existence or pleasure in life other than helping said YT in their journey. Examples of this are Will Smith in Bagger Vance, MCD in The Green Mile, and Scatman Crothers in "The Shining".

Anyhoo--there seems to be a new league of these coming up, but they are the "heavy"-- intimidating rather than subservient. They give the white character their come-uppance, albeit in a violent way, and they are:

-dark (which I'm fine with)

-super violent and/or menacing in every way

-completely second banana to this bland, faceless white dude

-actors that should have their own films with top billing.

The ones seen in the previews were Laurence Fishburne, Djimon Hounsou, and Samuel Jackson.

I must say that I don't believe I was making too much of viewing these previews, and what really gets me is the trailers probably contain about 10 to 15 seconds of each of them, regardless that you can tell they are very central to the story and probably get tons of screentime in the actual films themselves. What value are they placing on some of our communities most loved male actors? What kind of message are they sending out by making these films? Why are these major actors playing second fiddle to some kid I've never seen before and don't care about? WTF is up with this type of marketing in the trailers? Who are they marketing to, cause it most certainly doesn't seem to be us.

We are invisible even in the movie trailer realm. What do you guys make of this? What action should we be taking besides "witholding our dollars" which is a start, but imho not that effective of a message?


On a lighter note, for a funny caption on Digimon aka Djimon, click here.

Okay...Gonna Hibernate For A Day Or Two.....

OK, I don't have a lot of energy between the holidays and knowing that the hot garbage that is "National Treasure 2" is far and away the number one holiday movie. That one fact alone makes me not even want to think about the movie world for a while....

So, I'll leave you with a mini interview I did with "Purple", a New York magazine that is run by one of my very favorite bloggers, Purple Zoe of Ultraviolet Underground. Check out her spot and the link to her mag that's there while you drink your cocoa or brandy over the next couple days.

This is in it's raw form, but it is short and sweet, and I know you guys like it that way (at least when you visit me anyway, haha). Happy Holidays to yall--I will be spending a good portion of mine in Limoncello Martini heaven--Lord knows I need it with my family! :-)

Q&A Between Purple and Invisible Woman, Black Cinemist At Large

The Force Behind Invisible Cinema (She's the head of the Negro Justice League through her Invisible Cinema blog, and a force to be reckoned with in general). Her brand of honest wit inspires us to snap to attention and see what's happening to our images on 'The Big Screen'. With a cape sewn of 1 and 0's, she's come to rescue us from the confusing and increasingly overt sabotage of black images.

Q1

Have you always been a film buff? When did you know this was your field?

My first real vivid childhood memory was seeing the movie "Willard", about an outcast who trained the rats that lived in his house to attack people. Totally inappropriate for a child, but then again, my father was always taking me to see something inappropriate, haha. I get my love of film from him, he would sometimes go to the movies 2-3 a week....westerns, black exploitation, political thrillers; we would see everything. Maybe he couldn't find a sitter! I don't know if you can call cinema my "field"...working in the film industry is definitely not for those who truly care about the art of film, that's for sure....but if I could watch movies all day and never do anything else, I would be happy.

Q2

What are your deepest concerns about the current state of the black film industry?

I definitely think we are at a standstill on which direction to go in...we seem to be telling the same stories recycled over and over again, i.e. "Soul Food" type ensemble pieces. To be fair, non-black film is not any better. Hollywood is completely and totally artistically bankrupt, with very few exceptions.

Q3

Do you have any solutions in mind to correct the imbalances?

One thing I would love to see are black stories that are just stories. Not specifically black, but would be a straightforward story whether the characters were Black, Asian, Latino, or white.... with an all black cast. Not even make an issue that they are black. Say what you want about Will Smith, but he very frequently does that type of film...he could be easily substituted by any white dude (tho he does sometimes make a habit of putting a "black" spin on it). I would also really, really encourage people to go to Black film festivals, and put the word out (verbal or written) as much they can about what they've seen, and what transpires. There is so much lost information that never gets beyond the festivals themselves.

Q4

Do you see improvements in the black archetypes in the film industry, or do you feel the same stereotypes are being marketed to the detriment of mass perception of black culture?

That kinda goes back to the last question...I definitely think we are recycling. If Black Hollywood isn't up to the task of coming up with something original, why not tell the stories of our historic heroes? Why hasn't there been a film about Harriet Tubman, or Sojourner Truth, or Frederick Douglass, or the Negro Baseball League, or Madame C.J. Walker? Any number of our folks are ripe for the picking. When I was a kid, there was all kinds of stuff about black history; I think the black community is starved for that today. I was encouraged to see a film coming up about legendary boxer Sonny Liston, starring Ving Rhames.

Q5

What films and media do you feel have been the most powerful in correcting the engineering of misperception people of color have faced in the mainstream?

Neo-soul music is always encouraging...I had the fortunate experience of working in rap when it was conscious in the 90's, and people are always going back to that. Temporary things like Lil Wayne and Souljah Boy are the artistic equivalent to junk food (no offense to those who love it). I think it is very powerful when an artist has something to say that's deep, and it's wrapped in something beautiful like a good beat (i.e. Common, A Tribe Called Quest). People paying attention in the blogosphere to folks like Saul Williams and Van Hunt is a good sign. They don't fit in some neat box, and are representative of our creativity in our community. Black film, tho I think it's artistically lagging, is definitely showing it can make money and not have to be "hood". I did not grow up in the hood, and I like to see different aspects of people of color, cause we are so very, very many things. Hollywood is so very racist and sexist, it takes them so long think outside of their horrendously narrow box. These first baby steps ( Tyler Perry, etc.) will be the inroad for future success that is more representative of us in all the aspects of how we live.

Q6

What other views would you like to share with the readers?

Honestly, I could go on all day about that, I am so opinionated about so many things! But I would like to say that I love what's happening in the Black Blogosphere; it is such a beautiful forum to meet like-minded people, exchange ideas, and get direct political information with no spin.

Invisible Woman's Healthy Film Suggestions (would you leave us with list of films that are healthy for our consciousness, and that everyone should have on their shelf):

I'm kinda on a historic kick right now, cause I think it's so very important to know our past and the struggle and pride we've been through...two films that convey this that make you almost blow up with pride are "Wattstax", a black concert movie that was filmed in Watts in the 70's...sometimes called the "Black Woodstock," and "When We Were Kings", which is technically about Muhammad Ali. Both of these films give tremendous insight to the "Black Experience" and it's activism without being a downer or overly heavy-handed, but they have universal themes relevant to all people of color. As a matter of fact, if after viewing these films you don't love everything about colored people, you must be dead...check your pulse!