Question....

Ms. Invisible is officially back in her element. I moved back to the Bay last year to be closer to family and close friends, but I knew I was only denying the inevitable move back. I am an L.A. girl, and that's it, period. You will reap the benefits by getting some first hand reportage on all things Black Cinema.

I missed attending the opening night of Spike Lee's "Passing Strange" at the Downtown Film Festival, cause I was still in the Bay (a movie that sort of adds to my theory I posted about using plays for filmed material). It is sort of a small fest, so not too much was jumping off for Black films...there is a documentary about Bill Withers that I may catch called "Still Bill" playing tomorrow. There is another film screening there called "The Soul Of Ashanti" which I am almost ashamed to say I first thought was about the singer Ashanti, lol. To my relief it is based in Africa.

Nice to see some quality films on the circuit, but some things never change, and it's getting tiresome. While Sergio and I were lamenting the latest debacle from The Wayans Brothers, a sequel to "White Chicks" (they had the nerve to say they brought it back "by popular demand"), he wrote this:

"I was talking to a friend yesterday and we got into this discussion about why do we see so much coonery going on by black people in the media and in real life in general.

I think, and my friend agreed, it's because many (most?) black people deep down inside truly believe that they're inferior, totally worthless. That they're not in any way as intelligent, attractive, or simply as good or equal as white people. Therefore they resist acting intelligent, rational or even if they have common sense because they're terrified that they will be revealed as frauds and phonies. So it's much easier to act the fool. And that goes for the Wayans as well.

That's why you hear black people criticizing other black people about "acting white" What they're really saying is "How dare you think that you're as good as a white person, because we're not so don't pretend"."

From IW: Hmmmm....interesting. What do you think, guys? And yes, that is Damon Wayans below in the blackface.

This N' That

I have just come out of a "Throwback Heaven" stupor. TV One is just all about the Black Cinema, and today I watched the Blaxploitation flix "Three The Hard Way" and "Friday Foster". I have been meaning to write about the evolution of Pam Grier for some time, as she was a singularly awful actress back in the day and has come to something a lot more substantial. But what did that matter in the 70's when you looked like Pocahontas with perfect clear skin, white teeth, a small waist and perfect big tits (all before the boon of plastic surgery)? Not a lot, I tell ya, and not too much has changed in 3 decades. I will do a proper post eventually, as she is the gatekeeper of this blog. Here is the trailer:



The same with "Three The Hard Way". I'm sure at the time this was an explosive movie of Black Power and puttin' foot to ass on "the man", but now one is just bemused. And though it was directed by one of my faves, Gordon Parks Jr., the plot and actions scenes are wholly ridiculous at best. It is the story of some Aryan/Nazi power group that has invented some type of poison that kills only Negroes. It looks like Kool-Aid, so I guess that was smart. The target cities? D.C., Detroit, and Los Angeles and their water supply. All they needed was NY and Oakland and 99% of the Black population would have been goners.

Jim Brown stomping around saying he has to find "his woman" (who the bad guys kidnapped) seems positively caveman and archaic now, as well as Jim Kelly mowing down a whole police force that have guns by just shouting "OU-EEE!" and karate chopping and kicking. I really didn't pay attention to how they were taking everyone out with simple handguns, while the bad guys outnumbered them 10 to one and had machine guns, cause I was hypnotized by Fred Williamson's ass. I could eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner on that thing...haha!


Check out TV One tomorrow. Though they showed the hot (but watchable) garbage that is "Trois 2, Pandora's Box" today, tomorrow they have Maya Angelou's "Sister, Sister", starring Diahann Carroll ("Claudine)", Rosalind Cash ("Uptown Saturday Night"), and Irene Cara ("Fame") as sisters dealing with interfighting, jealousies, and baggage. Also offered tomorrow is "Funny Valentines" starring what seem to be favorites of this blog's readers, Alfre Woodard and Loretta Divine. It is directed by Julie Dash, who also directed the wonderful "Daughters of the Dust", and is described as this : "A woman returns to her home town to sort out her troubled marriage and finds new happiness in the rekindling of a broken friendship with her cousin."


Now on to a few things. Have any of you picked up on the podcasts over at Tambay's "Obenson Report"? Interesting discussions going on over there on Black Cinema--the last one featured up and coming director Pete Chatmon. Did you know that Jackie Robinson was in the 761st battalion, which is the subject of one of Chatmon's film? Jackie is an icon of inspiration for reals, for reals. Go on over to his blog and click on the links to listen.


Speaking of new-jack directors, Dennis Dortch (whose interview with me will be up in a few days) has a site up that consists of his Black & Sexy merchandise...tees, boy shorts, etc. are to be had, along with the amazing soundtrack from the film. Get you a piece my Black and sexy readers (you YT's too!, haha). Click HERE to see his stuff.


Are we ready for a new generation of Wayons? Hmmm...I dunno, as this generation is still grating the nerves a bit---i.e. "Dance Flick". Saw this on Black Film Academy:

'The prolific Wayans clan has begun to turn out a second generation of multihyphenate comic performers. UTA has just signed Damien Dante Wayans — nephew of filmmaker Keenen Ivory (”White Chicks”) — for representation in all areas, and Craig and Damon Jr. are set to co-star in Damien’s directing debut, “Dance Flick,” a Paramount comedy to be released May 22.

Damien is a co-writer (along with Craig, Keenen, Shawn and Marlon) and executive producer of the movie as well. Older-generation siblings Shawn, Marlon, Kim and Keenen all appear in the film.'

From IW: Alrighty then. At least the genes aren't bad in the looks department in that family....can't speak on the comedic one tho.


Have seen this trailer floating around the blogs---it is a documentary of the life of Mike Tyson. His life really needs to be a straight up soap opera, for real. I wonder if Jamie Foxx is still going to play him in a biopic as was rumored last year? Here is the trailer:




There seems to be an interest in things Henry Lennix these days. I never paid that much attention, one way or the other. I remember him as being very low key in the "The Five Heartbeats" and not much else. But based on the posts and comments on "Must Love Movies" ruminations "Roger Guenveur Smith vs. Harry Lennix" and "The Black Snob" who writes "I Suffer for Harry Lennix's Art" (and also turns it into an absolutely perfect commentary on the state of Black Hollywood and it's actors--to read click HERE), he definitely has a fanbase. Maybe the light skin-ded dudes are making a comeback. Hollywood, are you listening? Of course you aren't.



And a very, very heart felt thanks the beautiful Naturally Sophia (ATLians stand up!) , and the only person that I know that watches more movies than me, Reel Whore (I love his blog). They awarded me with the Kreativ Blog Award and The Dardos Award, respectively . The Dardos Award is given for "cultural, literary, and personal values in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web". Of course you are supposed to give these awards to others, but....yes...I'm slacking again. What I can say is that when I get these, they positively make my day; there is nothing quite as great as being recognized by your blogging peers---Thank You So Much!!!




PS: Thanks to all of those who have started following my blog in the past few days...don't think I haven't noticed and read your blogs as well :-)

Random Movie News....

I've been meaning to post about about some of these things...I believe I know about a lot of them before you read them elsewhere, but it's starting to look as if I'm constantly on the late train. I will do my best to do some timely posting, maybe some one-offs instead of waiting and putting everything in one post.

You know Ms. Invisible is not a hater by any means, but there are some people that really and truly grate my nerves, and seem to be doing nothing to alleviate it. So when I hear that Beyonce says she wants to star as the comic book heroine Wonder Woman in a movie, I am beginning to feel that she might secretly be torturing me and laughing. Oh, Ms. Sasha Fierce...I mean really, WTF? You can read the story HERE.

This next person doesn't get on my nerves, but his movies sure do.

Chris Rock is remaking the British film "Death At A Funeral" and it's described as this:

'The ensemble comedy will take place in an urban American setting and centers on a funeral ceremony that devolves into a debacle of misplaced cadavers, indecent exposure and family secrets. The cast will be primarily black, supplanting the earlier, England-set version's British cast.'

and one of the quotes in the Hollywood Reporter story was this:

"Chris, who was an unabashed fan of the film, came to us with a hysterical, completely new reimagining of the original concept," said SKE's Jim Tauber, who is serving as an executive producer along with scribe Craig.

Whatev! Sergio and I both agreed that Rock hasn't made a decent or funny film since "CB4" in 1992, and I really didn't even think that one was all that great.

One more nerve grating entry, if you can stand it; this one is a doozy. From MTV:

'Hitherto known simply as “The Untitled Wayans Brothers Project,” the upcoming film from Marlon, Shawn, Keenen Ivory and nephew Damien will be appropriately called “Dance Flick” and spoof movies like “Save the Last Dance,” “Hairspray,” “You Got Served” and, yes, “High School Musical.” '

From IW: **crickets**

Let's move on to something less depressing, shall we? My beloved filmloving comrade Tambay Obenson is having a wonderful screening of "A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy". Here are the details--please support him and this movie!

When:Wednesday Nov 12, 2008at 7:00 PM

Where:Cobble Hill Cinema 265 Court Street Brooklyn, New York

Admission: S10.00

RSVP: RSVP@actnowproduction.org /ActNow is a Not-For-Profit Theater & Film Co /Take F or G train to Bergen St
http://theblackandsexymovie.com/

From IW: I haven't seen the film yet, but judging by this trailer, apparently it involves lots of Black people and lots of sex, haha:




Sergio emailed me a story about a Will Smith collaboration with Steven Spielberg to do a remake of a Korean film called "Old Boy". He thought that it was a huge mistake for the two of them to be involved with this film. I had never heard of the movie, but was curious, so I watched it over the weekend.

I must say, it was really dark, with things like incest involved, and some very heavy duty sex and violence scenes--very non-Smith to say the least. I agree with Sergio; the beauty of this film is it's intensity, and if Smith and Spielberg don't roll with it to the fullest, then why even bother remaking it? If they do roll with it, it will be positively groundbreaking for Will, but I wouldn't place any bets that it will happen. Here is the trailer from the original movie:





And last but not least, the Black Hollywood Film Festival is calling for entries, heads up to my filmmaking and screenwriting fam that read this blog:

The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) has announced its Call for Entries for the 10th Anniversary of its annual competitive festival for Black filmmakers. HBFF 2009 will be held June 2-7, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. The festival will feature narrative and documentary features, short and student films, music videos and animation in its competitive program. HBFF also presents a separate Storyteller Competition for screenwriters.

The festival will be accepting submissions through February 15, 2009. Films must have been completed since September 2007 and one of the film’s creative principals (director, writer or producer) must be Black or of African heritage. The early-bird deadline for film and screenplay submissions was January 15, 2009, the final deadline is February 15, 2009. Submission forms and guidelines can be obtained by visiting the official festival website at http://www.hbff.org.

This Weekend in B'Days...

Keenan Ivory Wayans and the mighty Prince are 50. Both lookin' pretty decent for their age, both a bit....ummm...."special" in personality. One's a genius, and one likes to think he is. I'll let you guess which one.

Very coincidentally, here is a clip of a skit of Michael Jackson and Prince as police partners, with Robert Townsend playing Micheal, and Keenan Wayans playing Prince:

Old School Music Friday...

This week's meme is "Remakes", though this version is a kinda mangled one. It is from the film "A Low Down Dirty Shame" with Keenan Wayans and Jada Pinkett, which might be better off left forgotten, just like this so-called remake and it's $56 dollar video. Some classic songs should just be left alone:



I used to see those two chicks around...they were an unlikely and odd duo. I always wondered if they were friends first, or someone put them together for the group...

Old School Music Friday fam: Electronic Village Funky Finga Productions Mrs Grapevine Quick Cassandra Danielle Lisa C Chocl8t DP Kreative Talk MarvalusOne Regina LaShonda AJ Sharon Dee SJP sHaE-sHae songs in the key of life Hagar's Daughter There...Already If I missed anybody, please let me know!

Random Movie News....

And I mean hecka random. Sergio sent me these tidbits last week, but I've been in slack mode. You might have seen these movie announcements somewhere else, but for those who haven't here they are:

First up, from AOL:

Brett Ratner is in negotiations to direct Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment's remake of 'The Incredible Shrinking Man.' Brian Grazer is producing the project, which has Eddie Murphy attached to star.

The Hollywood Reporter states that an updated version of the best-selling novel and 1957 sci-fi classic starring Grant Williams, 'Man' is taking the comedic approach to the fantastical material, telling the story of a famous Las Vegas magician who is put under a spell that causes him to shrink. He must find a way to reverse the spell before he gets so small that he 'disappears.'

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant penned the most recent draft of the screenplay for the project, which had previously seen Pete Segal and Keenen Ivory Wayans in the director's chair.

From IW: Dang, even Keenan Wayans moved on from this mess? Eddie is solidifying his morph process into Jerry Lewis.

Next is a film that might be awesome if anyone else was attached to star. From Variety:

Halle Berry will star in and produce psychological drama "Frankie and Alice" for indie shingle Access Motion Pictures in association with Reality Pictures in Motion.

Story follows a young woman struggling with multiple personality disorder and torn between who she is and a racist Caucasian alter-personality that preys upon her mind. No production start date has been set.

"Frankie and Alice" is the second independent production for Toronto-based Access Motion Pictures, which recently completed "Phantom Punch," a Sonny Liston biopic starring Ving Rhames and directed by Robert Townsend.

From IW: If only Angela Bassett or....anyone else could do this role. *sigh* Never mind....


You probably heard this one. Keshia Knight Pulliam is gonna play a prostitute in "Madea Goes To Jail". Everyone seems to be up in arms over this, but I'm sure ol' girl has bills to pay, and what else have we seen her in lately? Besides, truth be told, if you read the gossip blogs she is waaay past Rudy on the Cosby show.

And speeding in on the "Just Why?" train and narrowly missing one of my "WTF Volumes" is this...from Yahoo:

A "Soul Train" movie is on track to arrive in movie theaters next year, the creator of the venerable urban dance television show said on Thursday.

Don Cornelius told Reuters that he has teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures to develop a buddy comedy that he hopes will spawn multiple sequels.

The project, currently called "Soul Train: The Movie," revolves around two male dancers on the show who get into "a lot of good stuff and some bad stuff as well," said Cornelius, who will serve as a producer.

It features "lots of music, lots of comedy," he added, as well as "a little bit of violence." He also promised it would be "more than slightly sensual."

"'Soul Train' has always been about sexuality," Cornelius said. "It's almost never been about guys, and almost always about girls. It's what has kept us afloat for these three decades or so."

From IW: What? I can't even comment on all that's wrong with Don and his "genius". Might be time for the home for the elderly....

By the way, the picture above is of some of the original "Soul Trainers". Come to think of it, those dudes look as zesty as that story idea sounds...

Did anyone else see "88 Minutes"? I could not figure out for the life of me why Al Pacino never seemed pressed even once that he had like an hour and a half to live. Not once. Didn't even break a sweat. I love thrillers, but save this one for Showtime, straight up.

And finally, thanks to Villager for bestowing on me the "E For Excellence Award" for my blog. It is wonderful to be recognized amongst your peers, and with the work he does over at Electronic Village ....it makes me proud that he took the time to recognize me and mine. Check him out when you have a chance---he always has very important and relevant information about our folkses and our community. He is building something over there that we can all be proud of.

So All We Get AreThe Raiders?

The Wayans brothers have dropped their bid to build a movie studio and shopping center at the former Oakland Army base over conflicts with the nearby port of Oakland.

Wayans business partner Britten Shuford said the brothers failed to get a commitment from the city to preserve the site's San Francisco Bay views.

The port plans to stack storage containers and build a dividing wall that would block views of the bay.Oakland business officials say the Wayans' decision to back out after long-standing negotiations over the 100-acre (40-hectare) parcel clears the path for other proposals on developing the base, which closed in 1999.Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has released a list of 13 other developers interested in building on the site. (pr-inside)

From IW: Even tho I sometimes have issues with the Wayans, and I love my hometown, I feel that this was a very, very stupid move on Oakland's part.

thanks freshplays for the pic

UPDATE: Ooops, my bad...from "A Better Oakland":

People seem to be upset all of a sudden (or maybe just again) about the fact that the Wayans Brothers are no longer interested in bringing their movie studio to the Oakland Army Base. First of all, I don’t even get why this is news now, since they canceled their ENA last year. Why on earth would anyone then expect them to respond to an RFQ? I also don’t get why people seem to think this is a bad thing. The City didn’t do anything wrong here, except maybe wasting too much time working with the Wayans, who simply could never get their act together. We gave them years to bring a real proposal to the Council, and they never did it. The City Council approved a 12 month exclusive negotiating agreement in June 2005, and it took them 8 months to sign the agreement. By that time, the ENA length had increased to 18 months. During those 18 months, they failed to meet nearly every deadline, or produce a viable proposal for the land. We gave them another 4 months in July 2007, and they pulled out a month later because they apparently hadn’t noticed in the previous 2 years that the land is next to a Port. They’ve totally failed to demonstrate that they’re capable of building anything. It’s time to move on.


From IW: so Wayans = trifling. Come to think of it, this is a bit more believable than the first version....

Interesting Concept....

YouTube™ and comedian Damon Wayans have announced the debut of Wayans' official "WayOutTV" channel on YouTube. The new "WayOutTV" channel (www.youtube.com/wayouttv) will serve as a creative haven for up-and-coming writers, directors, producers, actors and musical talent by showcasing the funniest sketch videos Wayans has to offer and allowing undiscovered talent and fans to respond directly.

"We are eager to bring our funniest comedy to the YouTube community and watch how they react -- it's like 'In Living Color 2.0,'" said Damon Wayans, creator of WayOutTV. "For too long, comedy has been a one way dialogue, with comedians talking to an audience rather than with an audience. My entire goal is to make people laugh and at the same time find a way to be creative and collaborative with people who want to be a part of the process."

"We're excited to work with talented, original content creators like Damon Wayans for WayOutTV who not only see YouTube as a great way to connect with new audiences worldwide but are truly committed to providing a consistent experience for the YouTube community," said Jordan Hoffner, head of premium content partnerships for YouTube. "With his new YouTube channel, Damon has an opportunity to retain full ownership of his material while building a loyal subscriber base of fans who will tune in regularly to see, share, rate and comment on his latest sketch."

WayOutTV channel will showcase fresh sketch comedy videos produced by Damon Wayans featuring aspiring young comedians handpicked by the "In Living Color" star and sketch veteran.

Wayans will also serve as the guest editor of the YouTube home page on Saturday, February 16 at 12:00PT, which means he handpicked all of the featured videos on display. The WayOutTV channel can be found at HERE.
source

From IW: Here is a sample video called "Lucky The Irish Pimp"....I dunno....

Hello There...

Aaannnndd we're back! haha

Missed you guys.

I now know I'm hopelessly addicted to the blogosphere, no point in denying it. It's only been a few days and it seems like weeks!

My posting is still gonna be a bit spotty this week due to my move....bear with me. And thanks so very, very, much for the well wishes and comments about my laptop....at least I know you notice if I'm not around, cause I sure notice when you're not :-)

Anyhoo, some interesting things have happened---I'll give you a couple of coming attraction updates and dedicate the rest of the day to Carl Gilliard as promised a few days ago.

I was saying a few times recently that I wished more of our historical heroes would be portrayed on screen. It looks like that is happening a bit here and there....this one very much peaked my interest:

Jeffrey Wright has been tapped to play Muddy Waters in "Cadillac Records," a musical biopic that follows the turbulent lives of such bluesmen as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf in 1950s Chicago. Adrien Brody will replay Matt Dillon (who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts) as Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. btn

From IW: Jeffery Wright in this will be off the hook, if he loosens up just a bit. I also think Adrian Brody is infinitely more interesting for this than Matt Dillon.

By the way....the following had the headline "Back By Popular Demand" (??!!). Hhmmmmm......somethin' in the milk ain't clean:

Kim Wayans' ("In Living Color," "Juwanna Mann") one-woman show, "A Handsome Woman Retreats" returns January 25th playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm through February 23rd at the 2100 Square Feet Theatre in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles.

From IW: Alrighty then.

And finally, from Robert Townsend, who I think almost all of us have love for:

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) will host the world premiere of director Robert Townsend's "Of Boys and Men" starring Robert Townsend, Angela Bassett, Victoria Rowell, Dante Boens with Faizon Love, Vince Green, and Bobb'e J. Thompson. The premiere will take place on February 13th as part of the PAFF's Centerpiece program.

From IW: Yamo be there.

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.

Alrighty Then.....

Okee dokee. Forget why the Wayans brothers are hanging out with New York. Forget why New York still has uncomfortable looking 60 pound boobage. Forget why on God's green earth that nerdball known as Tailor Made is attracted to them, or anything else attached to NY. Forget why Marlon looks like he is jonesin' for his next "fix" like Diana Ross in "Lady Sings The Blues". Forget why I am having a Chambord martini at 4am in the morning.

What I wanna know is: what is up with the Wayans' hairlines?

picture spotted on babes, bling, and booze

Update: Speaking of hair, there is enough here to feed a small African nation.....they might want to share some with the Wayans.

picture ganked from dlisted

Today in B'Days

Omar Epps is 34.

Marlon Wayans is 35.

I have stories about both of them, but I'll keep them to myself as a birthday present...haha

Hmmmm.....

I read this earlier today:

The Wayans brothers -- Keenen Ivory, Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans -- are back again at the bargaining table with development plans to build a 70-acre movie studio and theme park on a former U.S. Army base in Oakland, CA. An earlier agreement with the city expired in May with little progress being made. The brothers’ new proposal is a $300 million film studio and commercial and retail development at the former Oakland Army Base.

We here in the Bay Area have been talking about this for years now, they made their proposal for the army base long ago.....the Wayans are on serious "CP" time.

I don't know how I feel about this one, as I have a love/hate relationship with the Wayans, but at the very least it might give Oakland (where I grew up) the creative boost it so sorely needs. If I made a list of all of the very famous black actors, actresses, singers, and rappers that left the Bay because of no creative outlet, you wouldn't believe your eyes. It is a strange concept to have a movie studio right in the middle of Oakland though, but big ups to brothas trying to run their own ish.