This N' That

Okay....the last "this and that" I thought may have been my last on Blogger, but I haven't decided on a new platform, but it is definitely coming.

I have a lot I want to say today, starting off with a lil' blog lovey love.

"Soulbounce" is my new blog crush....the editors over there, Novaslim (whose blog "Novaslim" was one of the first ones I read on the regular), Butta, and Ill Mami not only have great blogger names, they are funny, insightful, crazy intelligent, and have big love for REAL and GOOD music. Past and present. You won't find no "crank dat" over there. They also have some silly insights on current black music culture. Two thumbs up....check my folkses out.

Ruby Dee was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Reader Lance called this one in the comments when I talked about Ruby Dee's B'Day.

The fact that she was off the hook for 3 minutes does not warrant Oscar material to me. But to be fair, she is not the first or the last to be honored for a minuscule appearance. There have been a few non-black performances where practically a cameo was nominated. I don't agree with this, but this is one reason I am not an Oscar pomp and circumstance fan. Good luck to her just the same.

Speaking of foreshadowing comments, I was looking at something in my archives the other day and saw this comment. It is from July, and right now it is very, very interesting and telling. It is from "anonymous". I will post it as is, unedited:

"Listen all Tracey Edmonds and her Family are very RACIST towards Black people like us, they have always been. The mother Jackie McQuarn raised them in a white area and taught them to use their own people to benefit. I know people who have worked for her and say that her and her brother (Michael McQuarn) sit in their offices and laugh and talk stuff about our people! Soul Food was just a lucky come up for this RACIST family not to include Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.These people even screw their own at The Edmonds Tower....So very SAD this woman is going from one RICH man to another on the advise of her Mother and Brother."

From IW: Interesting. Btw, notice anything different from the 1st picture to the 2nd? (besides "husbands")

Reader and blogger Qadree commented on my dismay with the new "magical negro" trend:

"I don't know if I would call this a new trend. Hollywood always updates the archetypes to keep them relevant, but this particular archetype was born along with the rest of them in the days leading up to "The Birth of a Nation". I guess what your referring to could be called the newest wave or variant of the violent/dark archetype, often referred to as the "brutal black buck".

There are many books that breakdown the archetypes, but I prefer Black Manhood on the Silent Screen, by Gerald R Butters.

Many other people seem to prefer the books by Donald Bogle and Thomas Cripps.

Another good book that looks more at the trends surrounding the archetypes and includes some very good research on film criticism from black film critics is Returning the Gaze: A Genealogy of Black Film Criticism, 1909-1949, by Anna Everett.

As far as creating change goes, my biggest emphasis right now is supporting the independent filmmakers and finding ways to make certain ideas common knowledge.

The way I see it there is a hierarchy of knowledge when it comes to cinema. At the top are the scholars and critics, followed by reviewers and people like myself who admire the scholars level of knowledge and want to either be critics, filmmakers, or both. Beneath this is a whole range of people from hobbyists on down to those that just want to be entertained.

I mention this because I think it's important to have outlets at each level where people who are interested can go to learn. If this doesn't happen I wouldn't expect the quality of cinema to get any better because there won't be anything to fuel it once it reaches a certain level. I'm going to start posting to my blog again next Monday, the goal being more critical discourse with an emphasis on black cinema, and I don't expect people who just want entertainment to get much out of it."

From IW: This is interesting to me cause I didn't know about the archetype of "brutal black buck"...only in theory. But to me this new trend is probably a cross blend of the 2 archetypes of "magical negro" and "brutal black buck" as the purpose of these black men in these films (the ones I spoke of) is solely to teach these white men about life and to further the white dude's journey, not theirs (the "bucks/magical negroes"). The new twist is that they teach in a way that is hostile, and not completely subservient, but they are still very secondary to the main white character. I still think it is an emerging archetype we should watch closely.....and I definitely agree with supporting independent black film as much as humanly possible.

From the Big Ideas blog from the Ebony/Jet website (very informative in a easy to digest way) is news of the "Blogging While Brown" conference, that btw, I am very much looking forward to:

The organizers of the first Blogging While Brown Conference has announced that registration is now open. I’ll say it simply, this is a very important cultural milestone. If you blog, go. If you want to blog, go. if you care about Black folks’ place in this new digital universe –go.
Here’s a quote from their release:

“The first international conference for bloggers of color, the Blogging While Brown Conference will be three days of innovative panels, instructional seminars, and networking events. Blogging While Brown was formed in response to widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of diversity at some of the largest blogging conferences. Bloggers of color are excited about a conference, for, by and about them and look forward to moving beyond a single panel or discussion focusing on diversity typically featured at other blogging conferences.”This year’s event will include workshops, seminars, panels, demonstrations, and small group discussions. The workshops are categorized in three tracks related to:

-News, politics, and social justice

-The business of blogging (including technology issues)

-Entertainment, gossip, and lifestyle.

The registration deadline is March 15, 2008. Register HERE.

ATLians!

The film festival I talked about the other day, Spaghetti Junction Urban Film Festival in Atlanta, has a pre-fest screening on Monday, January 28. Try to make it...I already told you Aunt Viv was in it, but so are Patti LaBelle, Lou Gossett, Roger G. Smith, and Leon....y'all know you like that "Five Heartbeats" flashback. To find out more, click here.

I said a couple weeks ago I was gonna start featuring directors and actors that needed some exposure and deservedly so. As you probably know by now I am a bit of a slacker...but I'm workin' on it. First up tomorrow is Carl Gilliard, and I think he has some great advice for up and coming filmmakers and screenwriters....check back tomorrow for his interview.

And finally, in non-Black Cinema news, a peaceful journey to Heath Ledger.....he used to live near me when I was in Brooklyn for a couple of months in 2006. He died today at 28 of a drug overdose, and tho unrelated to Black Film, I want to pay my respects.

R.I.P.