3…2…1… CONTACTS
I have the SWEETEST pair of specs! Black with bamboo temples. And now they are in 2 or 3 pieces. Yeah, like a lame, I broke my glasses!
So after more than 25 years of wearing glasses, I decide it’s time for some contacts. After a swift eye exam and a brief tutorial on inserting and removing the contacts, I walked out of the optometrist for the first time with out a pair of glasses on my face, and I could see! It was cool…
Until I had to take them out. An ordeal that lasted more than three hours. In fact, at one point I got so desperate that I went on a 1:30 am adventure to find a drug store, grocery store… even a Wal-Mart, that sold some type of apparatus to help me get those shits out of my eyes. It was fruitless. Finally after watching several YOUTUBE videos, phoning a friend and praying to my lord and savior… I got them out.
The next morning, renewed, recharged, and determined, I attempted to put them back in. 2 hours later I was back at the eye doctor picking out a pair of frames. The contacts are still in the case where they will live out their existence… I’ll show them! BASTARDS!
Bank on it…
I excelled in school until about the 3rd quarter of my 7th grade year. It was then I met my lifelong nemesis and sworn enemy- ALGEBRA! Well, pre-algebra to be exact. It whooped my ass, and did so royally for the next 5 years. I eeked a passing grade out of pre-algebra… emerged from algebra 1 and 2 with an amazingly dismal perception of myself. Geometry and Pre-cal finished me off with a one-two punch. The only claim to fame I have with regards to math is that I found my way to a position in life where I can pawn off the counting, numbers and complex equations to someone else while I bask in the ignorance of my mathematical ineptitude.
Needless to say, the many quoted stats, numbers and projections spewed during the current political campaign may as well have been voiced in Sanskrit. Yes… its utterly confusing and foreign. As I’ve watched the debates, commercials and stump speeches over the last few months, I can often be heard shouting at the television “JUST SAY IT IN ENGLISH”. But no one has heard my plea… until now.
Mitt Romney urged us in the debates to go to his site where his 5-point plan to improve the economy and simplify the tax code is spelled out in easy to read, simple and concise language. So I did. And now like Paul on the road to Damascus… I see the LIGHT!!!
Click here to see for yourself: ROMNEYTAXPLAN.com
Stockholm syndrome…
People get ready!!! Detta är visa din mamma varnade dig! For more information go to: www.creativecall.org!
“Annal” Loving…
Let’s take a trip through time. Throughout the annals of history, very few poets have been able to capture and contain the raging emotions and passion that explode within the human spirit in love. The task is elusive, whether in paint or stone, or in the form of words and song. So few in fact have achieved this feat, that when one is successful, the ramifications of their verse and song reverberates through history and exists profoundly in the soul of man, passing down from generation to generation via some genetic osmosis that I have not the vocabulary to describe.
The Greek poetess Sappho (600 B.C.) crafted fiery odes to both her male and female love interests. In the 1700’s Jean-Paul Martini and Jean Pierre Claris de Florian wrote “Plaisir D’Amour”, a poetic lament about a love gone asunder. The Isley Brothers “In Between the Sheets” used literal and metaphoric references to make young lovers engage in steamy embraces and baby-making antics. R. Kelly’s allegorical “You Remind me of my Jeep” took the affinity for cool rides and hot girls to uncharted dimensions in the 90’s.
Then along came the 2010’s and a new epoch of love and expression was achieved when poet Mike Schatz penned his now infamous ode to unbridled passions. “Rusty Trombone” is a sweet, thick-country melody about an act of love, that transports virgin ears to the peak of “freakdom”. No ode, limerick, haiku, poem or song ever in the history of language expresses the untameable desire to “get it in” like this.
Mike Schatz- for Saint-hood.
Took!
TAKEN, the 2008 action film starring Liam Neeson took audiences by surprise. Neeson literally tore Paris apart in an effort to rescue his abducted teenage daughter. Possessing a “set of unique skills” that could only have been gleaned over a career as a super-secret C.I.A. operative, Neeson’s Brian Mills character took a group of seedy underworld, black-market dealing, sex slave wrangling, shit-talking Albanians to task!
Imagine my delight when I learned that a sequel was coming out which promised to be as exciting and as invigorating as the first.
It was not.
In fact, it was no where near. Taken 2 is a classic example of ‘can’t leave well-enough alone’. It’s like one of those SNL skits that starts out with a hilarious montage of people being punched to an infectious electro-pop music beat, that then dissolves into an unpredictable and unnecessary dance scene with zombies! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!?!
I honestly believe that Taken 2 was actually a secret government plot to lure unsuspecting test subjects to the theater under the guise of watching a blockbuster action flick, when in secret there was actually some hypnotic or mind-controlling mechanism secretly embedded in the flickering images of the film reel, that will one day be activated by some sort of auditory or visual trigger unbeknownst to us all. We’ve been covertly converted into rogue agents of mayhem and destruction.
Sadly, if this hypothesis was in fact true, it would make the money spent on tickets to see Taken 2, worth it!
Win some… Lose some
For the last 20 hours or so, media outlet’s everywhere have hotly contested whether President Barack Obama or Republican hopeful, Mitt Romney, won last night’s first presidential debate. But the real question lingers on… What the HOLY HELL happened to Al Sharpton???
My lawd! In real life, he looks like his head has been photoshopped on somebody else’s body! Weight loss be damned… Is he melting? In fact my first thought was that he must be seriously ill. But his clearly cosmetic grill suggests otherwise. His teeth look like muppet teeth! They are so perfectly aligned that if you make a quick glance it’s almost as though he has like one marble tooth that spans his entire upper and lower jaw.
How anyone can have any conversations today without questioning the good reverend’s dramatic cosmetic alterations escapes me. Let’s see the pundits take this on!
Let’s Get It on…
This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards has been overshadowed by yet another fight (or two) between grown ass, rich dudes with a point to prove about their manhood. This time it was Jezzy and Rick Ross. Last year it was Diddy and Kenny Burns. The year before that Waka Flocka and a BET exec… It goes on and on.
The UFC has made a gazillion dollars off of dudes beating the crap out of each other with a very neat and organized marketing machine behind it. They are currently gearing up for UFC 153 which features one of my favorite MMA stars, Anderson Silva. But 153 marks the actual 153rd UFC battale royale which makes it easy to keep up with how many of these highly lucrative brawls the brand has produced.
That got me to thinking… what if the BET Hip Hop Awards, which have been held in Atlanta for the last 7 years did the same thing. I mean, you already KNOW there’s going to be a fight. Year after year, rapper clique after rapper clique gets involved with a war of words which escalates to shoving, to brawling to well, you know. So why not just grease these dudes up and put them in the ring! Think of how much money THAT would make! I can see it now, BETHHA 7: JEEZY vs. RICK ROSS or BETHHA8: TUPAC’s HOLOGRAM vs. What’s Left of Soulja Boy’s career…
Look at it this way, with the two artists facing off head to head in the ring we can potentially avoid the skirmishes and melees that ensue when over eager crew members start throwing bottles and pulling out pistols – actually, that probably wouldn’t change anything.
SMH
Shameless Plug…
My latest body of work in the studio, “All Dat Glitters Aint Goals” (Lyons Wier Gallery Sept6-Oct6 2012) inspired me to dust off my mic and drop a few hot bars on these fools. The experience was nothing short of DOPE!
I collaborated with one of Atlanta’s mightiest producers, the homie ILLASTRATE who outfitted me with some banging tracks that really made me step my game up. I went even furthered and made a few calls to some of my ATL hip hop heroes to also lend their talents to the project. The end result is a 5 track EP that features the likes of: Stic.Man (of the hip hop duo Dead Prez), Ekundayo, El Sun and Thunda (from the mighty L.I.U.N.S aka All Nice and Decent crew), Starchile‘s Massive the Victor and Divine Wiz, Methuzalah, Clan Destined, Boog Brown, MikeFlo, Joe D, and G.R.E.A.T. SCOTT.
Look, I can go on telling you about it… or just tell you where you can find it! Go to www.fahamupecouistheshit.bandcamp.com and get the free (yes I said FREE) download, which comes complete with a digital book that features the images from the exhibition and song lyrics.
ALEX CROSS(dress)
Excuse this tear-stained post. I am in mourning, deeply saddened, distraught, inconsolable… CROSSED. And yes, my despair swings from forlornness to fits of pure rage- inciting me to scream “WHAT THE FLYING FUCK?!”
The impetus for my fragile emotional state… you guessed; TYLER PERRY!
Anyone who follows this blog or knows my name is (or at least should be) quite familiar with my disdain for anything associated with Perry. Again, I must reiterate- I am not about tearing anyone down or dare I say “hating” on TP, but I reserve my God-given right to dislike him. I don’t get it. I don’t get him. I nearly wrecked when I saw billboards announcing the latest in the Madea travesties. How or rather who is green lighting this tripe!?
The latest calamity- Tyler Perry trumps Idris Elba in the lead role of the latest John Patterson, Alex Cross franchise film adaptation. Yes, you read right. Elba was slated to replace seasoned actor Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross in the forthcoming release, I, Alex Cross. Unbeknownst to many, when the trailer was released recently, the film stars TYLER em-effin PERRY a.k.a. MADEA as Alex Cross! Isn’t that like casting Mrs. Doubtfire as James Bond? 😐
*sobbing uncontrollably*
Sorry. I just love a good crime suspense story. I’ve long been a fan of Patterson’s Alex Cross character and Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors. But there is absolutely nothing I can see Perry bringing to this role… but a DRESS!
SMH. All is NOT right with the world.
NIGGA? Please!
Ok, this shit is completely ridiculous to me.
You got ‘Ye and Jigga running around calling themselves “Niggas in Paris” and everyone gets up in arms when someone other than them says “Hey there are some ‘Niggas in Paris’. I don’t get it.
Gwyneth Paltrow is currently feeling the backlash after she recently sent a tweet of a photo of her partying with Jay and Beyoncé with the caption “Ni**as in Paris for real…”
LMAO. I mean, what do you expect? These niggas have made that particular phrase POPULAR as all hell. I wouldn’t be surprised if I arrived in Paris in January and there is a special “NIGGAS Lounge” stocked with Hennessy and Swisher sweets at Charles DeGaulle Airport.
True, I’ve found myself having to correct people in several countries-most of whom barely speak english-who’ve met me with a greeting of “What up my nigga?!” Now, they weren’t trying to offend me, but rather to appeal to what they perceive as my cool, Black American steez. They learn it from listening to rap music, watching The Wire or the FRIDAY movies. It is their way of greeting me in [what they believe to be] my native “hip hop” tongue. The same way I would greet someone in Spain with a “¿Hola, como estas?” or in China with a “Ni Hao”. It is actually considered quite polite and proper to greet someone from another culture in their language.
If I’m offended in any way by it, its because I don’t personally refer to myself as a “nigga” and I try to avoid using it to refer to anybody else. But if niggas insist on calling themselves and each other niggas– you can’t be offended when someone else, outside of your culture, in their attempt to acknowledge you and be as”cool” as they perceive YOU to be – does!
(They learned it by listening to you!)
Jumping the Gun…
The internet is all ablaze with the news that filming for a Jimi Hendrix biopic starring Andre 3000 is currently underway in the UK. Already there is rumor of dramatics on set. Some say Hendrix’s estate, is denying that any such film will be made, stating their insistence in their refusal to license Hendrix’s original music to score any such film project. Additionally, some question whether or not Dre has the acting chops to pull off the role.
Filming began over the weekend and some “cell-phone” quality images have leaked to the media showing 3Stacks in a Jimi Hendrix, curly afro wing and red bell bottoms.
Roger Ebert gives the photos 2 thumbs up stating that Dre’s “curly fro had just the right amount of bounce-to-sheen ratio”.
Zack Heines for the New York Daily says “3 out of 5 stars“. Heines writes “I would have given it 5 stars, but all the pictures I’ve seen of Jimi Hendrix are in black and white, and [Andre] was clearly in color and high definition!”
Maggie Shepard of the Osh Kosh Bugle says “…I saw his chest. OMG! I saw his chest!”
At this rate, we won’t have to see the film when it comes out. Thanks to all of the speculating, paparazzi photos and over-saturated entertainment news outlets out there, we’ll have a high-quality bootleg dvd complete with cast and crew commentary before the script’s complete.
IJS
Haciendo Más
Never judge a book by its cover, or a HOME DEPOT by the quality of the undocumented workers loitering about. Snap judgements as such limit your experiences. You never know what you might discover when you take a chance, throw caution to the wind or invite a friendly Mexican guy over to your house for tea. I mean, sure he’s handy at plumbing and adept at dry wall installation. He may even be well-versed in all your gardening and landscaping needs. But that doesn’t mean he’s not skilled in the medical art form of chiropractice or quite possibly a seasoned veteran of the stage and screen.
…Just watch the clip.
Kick… Start…
"Lo End Theory" ©Fahamu Pecou from HARD 2 DEATH 2011 charcoal and acrylic on paper
A brief trip down your memory lane may jar memories of films like Menace II Society and an almost countless number of cinematic attempts at “Hollywoodizing” the hip hop community. These films and the many others like it set the stage and tone for what was implicitly attributed to being the “African American experience”. I remember seeing Menace in the theaters at 18 and instantly assuming my own impending demise in a drive-by or some other gang-related activity. It is important to note that not only were there no gangs or gang activity in my small town of Hartsville, SC (at that time), but I was also a mild-mannered, college-bound teen whose worst offense may have been the fact that I cursed when no adults were around. However, films like Menace colored my perspective on the world and my place in it.
Throughout the 90’s a slew of films like Menace beckoned black audiences to theaters in droves. Boyz in Da Hood, Clockers, Dead Presidents, Set it Off, Jason’s Lyric, New Jersey Drive and so many others I can not recall became a part of our collective psyche. Young, old, black, white; we watched, cheered, laughed, cringed, and moved in time with the images that “shaped black manhood” (and womanhood in many cases). Even those who had never seen any of these films were influenced by this media-based construction of black (male) culture. For some non-black people, their first experiences with black people was what they gleaned from media.
Gangsta rap music parallels the course and influence of films like Menace, championing the most vile aspects of urban depression and angst. Infectious beats mesmerized minds and bodies responded in rhythm. (Sometimes) clever and visceral lyricism painted vivid scenarios purporting to represent what was real in the streets. Both film and music appeals to our sense of cool. Our society idolizes cool. We reflect the cool that appeals to us. We embody cool.
But the cool can be (and often is) cold and bitter. The cool is often presented without its inevitable consequence. It is in this thinking that I begin my latest endeavor, “If Heaven had Heights…”. “If Heaven” is a multimedia project exploring black male representations in popular media. The works in this series range from paintings and performance to experimental animation and digital video.
I’ve recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for this project and would appreciate your support! There are some great incentives attached to your support – over and above the fact that this is a much needed dialogue. Please join The 15 Project in supporting this initiative and tell a friend:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/495104247/if-heaven-had-heights
O… That’s funny…
She’s gone from poor southern girl to determined journalist to actress to talk show host to media mogul to now… comedienne!
Not since Dave Chappelle’s “Oprah’s Pregnant skit” have we considered Oprah in such a comedic sense. But the iconic O recently showed her funny bone in a sketch with late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel that should not be missed.
The two bantered about the challenges of populating a television network with substantive content before Kimmel showed “behind the scenes footage” of his pitch-meeting with Oprah. With ideas like Oprah herself repossessing her popular giveaways affectionately known as “Oprah’s Favorite Things” or the riotous “Book Club Fight Club”, I think OWN would definitely attract the 19-30 year old male demographic with ease!
We may not see Oprah headline the next “Queens of Comedy Tour” but we may just find her chillin’ in a Juicy Couture, hot pink velour sweatsuit in the front row clowning it up with Shaq and Kevin Hart. #MAYBE?
When Keeping it Wrong goes Real
I’m sorry. I had to do it… Ladies and Gentlemen…
SHIT GANGSTA RAPPERS SAY
HEROES
In 2011, playwright Howard L. Craft premiered the Jade City Chronicles at Little Green Pig Theatre in Durham, NC. It was a smart, funny and complex play about the life and struggles of a super hero. But not just any super hero, this was Herald M.F. Jones, the super spectacular bad ass protector of Jade City.
The play was a huge success and received rave reviews throughout N.C.’c arts community. Frank Stasio, a producer for NPR on North Carolina Public radio attended the show and later contacted Craft about adapting the work to a radio serial format. Herald M.F. Jones ended up not not only saving the day, but making history as well by becoming the first African American superhero serial in radio history!!!
I recently caught up with Howard L. Craft, writer and creator of Herald M.F. Jones and the Jade City crew to talk about the project, how it came about and what’s coming up next… take a listen:
The Jade City Pharaoh is in the final days of a fundraising effort to generate the capital to continue producing the show and you can support! Log on to: www.kickstarter.com/profile/jadecity, and make a pledge today. You can also tune in to episodes of The Jade City Pharaoh and listen online at http://jadecity.webs.com/episodes.htm
Herald M.F. Jones is a bad muthaf……
Baby Blues…
Rumors of a fake pregnancy scandal have hounded Jay and Beyonce Z since shortly after they appeared on the VMA red carpet in August 2011. Reportedly glowing and showing off her baby bump, the joy was SQUISHED out of the pop diva’s fans’ collective coos when B appeared on an Australian tabloid show a few weeks later and seemingly forgot she was wearing a fake pregnancy prosthetic… I, mean… squished her baby… I mean… What the hell? See the photo after the break… Rumors flew from here to Sydney about whether the Z’s were using a surrogate and just simply toying with fans’ trust and expectations.
Things that make you go... Hellllll naw!
The drama continues after an appearance at Jay Z’s Carnegie Hall performance on Feb 6, 2012 at which Beyonce showed no signs of baby weight anywhere on her body. Experts have come forth to claim that with this being her first baby, her youth- and the fact that she never had a baby (oops-did I say that out loud?) have allowed her to have a rapid snap back to her performance bod. (I’m making the face again) 😐
Look, in all seriousness, I could care less what she does, but it is a bit odd to lie about things. Many women have surrogates, in fact they’re currently outsourcing wombs in India right now! Some women do it for health reasons and some for vanity. After all, money can buy you any and everything! I mean, I get it… B makes her living on her voice as well as her looks. If she can afford to have someone have her baby, she keeps her body and keeps the dollars coming in… who am I to hate? But damn, you don’t gotta lie to kick it Craig! #ImJustSayin
CRUSH’N
When I was a young lad, the hottest group around was a singing family with South Pacific ancestry known as the Jets. They were kind of like an exotic Jackson Five meets De’barge. In 1986 they released a song which was an instant pop music hit called “I Got A Crush On You”. It brings me back to a time of secret-admirer love letters and desires of hunchin’ girls during P.E. (ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)
But I digress… On February 25th, 2012, Atlanta’s Burnaway.org revives the spirit of the good old-fashioned crush. Burnaway, a non-profit online magazine was founded by Jeremy Abernathy, Susannah Darrow, and Ben Grad. After launching in October 2008, the online magazine quickly gained a reputation for anything but the typical arts dialogue and engagements. Young and fresh in their approach, they feature weekly columns, reviews, interviews and podcasts aimed at broadening the disco use of local and contemporary art.
One of these innovative columns, Art Crush, features dreamy interviews with local artists and arts administrators who make the public swoon (I should know, having been an Art Crush feature in spring 2010). Burnaway makes these crushes more tangible interactions on February 25th as they present their first annual Art Crush Auction to benefit Burnaway. Attendees are invited to bid on fun experiences with their favorite art crush which ranges from; a picnic and conversation on public art, a walk on role in an indie film, a cocktail party and art collection tour for you plus 10 friends and more!
Don’t miss what is sure to be a fun night full of sexy surprises and did I mention its all hosted by the dreamiest artist (BROmantically speaking) around… Craig Drennen!
It’s going to be a blast! Check out the site for full details and to purchase tickets… not now, but RIGHT NOW.
We now return you to our childhood fantasy flashback, already in progress…
Short month, Long Legacy
Its BLACK HISTORY MONTH… our favorite time of year when we get to learn of all the great contributions made to society by any body other than pilgrims, American Revolutionaries and Ronald Reagan!
Yes, its true. Black people are responsible for just as much cool shit as anybody else, and if you keep your eyes, ears and calendars open this month you can learn all types of fun things! I know some people like to protest the fact that BHM lands in February, the shortest and arguably most misleading -spelling to pronuniciation- month in the year. But don’t get it twisted, its not some secret plot to undermine African American contributions to society. February was chosen by Carter G. Woodson because two of Black America’s heroes were both born in February- Frederick Douglass and the undisputed champ for black people’s rights…(ahem) Abraham Lincoln. Ok, Brother Woodson was stretching a bit on that last one, but hey that was like 400 years ago (or something).
Anyway, we take our Black History seriously at The 15 Project, because let’s be honest, as a black artist… there is a lot of work around this time of year. I ain’t tripping. After all February + income tax time is like an annual economic bailout for a brother who kinda went H.A.M. on some after Christmas sales (you’re welcome Capital One).
Anyway, there is lots of information you can fill your head with this month that’s sure to make you the center of attention at all the cocktail parties and Cultural Center soirees you’ll be invited to over the next 28 days. Plus, with this being a leap year, you get one whole extra day to do something EXTRA BLACK like; go to a baptist church, buy something from West End or Greenbriar Mall, eat at a Soul Food Restaurant or my personal favorite – watch the PBS rebroadcast of Roots!
But seriously though, whatever you do this month, remember that Black History is more than Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. Black History is not just past, but also present and future. Ask the elders in your family to tell your THEIR stories. Fix something that you see is broken in your community. Do something selfless. But most of all move in excellence, you never know who’s watching!
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Keeping it REAL?
So, does it bother anyone else that shows like the REAL HOUSEWIVES of ATLANTA feature no actual housewives or even more… NOTHING REAL? Whatever happened to reality shows that featured reality? Oh that’s right, those have never existed!
I, like most, enjoy a good healthy dose of the idiot box. But I can not suspend my disbelief enough to take most of this gruel we are to consider as good television entertainment. Case in point is the rumored addition of Keisha Knight Pulliam as a new personality on the RHOA. First of all, let me say, I adore KNP. I’ve loved her cuteness since The Last Dragon… enjoyed her precociousness as Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show and have even panted a few times at the gah-gah-gorgeous woman she is today! But how does she fit into a show about Real Housewives, when she’s uhhhhh NEVER BEEN MARRIED?!? Somebody got some ‘splainin’ to do.
Maybe the real reason for my confusion and disdain for this news is that, frankly I’m a bit disappointed. I HATE RHOA and all the fuss made over the ridiculous drama that is the show. Honestly I don’t get the draw. But Keisha, really? Is this the best we can do? I’ve heard about your cameos in Tyler Pery films and t.v. shows… ok, I get it. Get your money. But, reality t.v.? Your fans deserve better… YOU deserve better.
Maybe the rumors aren’t true, but if they are and if this is the path you choose… do us all a favor. Don’t go the way of Flava Flav!!! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ!
Fine and Dandy
What began as a small photography exhibit as a part of an installation within Harlem’s Society HAE‘s headquarters has become a bonafied art world phenomenon. The exhibition titled Dandy Lion: Articulating a Re(de)fined Black Masculine Identity looks at the mash up between traditional African fashion sensibilities and European style aesthetics.
The original exhibit is conceived and curated by Shantrelle P. Lewis in conjunction with Society HAE. Lewis, who curates exhibitions for New York’s Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diasporan Institute (CCCADI), expanded the project with a national call for photographic works that fall within the the conceptual scope of the exhibition. Empowered with a broad and exceptional response to the project, Shantrelle secured dates at several museums and institutions throughout the U.S. for Dandy Lion to travel.
A “dandy” is described as “a man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners”. The images in the exhibit feature a juxtaposition of urban black men whose clean and creative fashions stand out against the backdrop of sagging jeans, baseball caps and big t-shirts. “Noticeably different from his historical minstrel or Harlem Renaissance queer prototype, the 21st Century Dandy Lion is more masculine than metro-sexual, more of an expression of the African aesthetic and mode of swagger than an imitation of European high-brow society”, says Lewis’s curatorial statement. The contemporary dandy’s style, or “swagger” engages both African aesthetics and elements of classical European fashion. The exhibit features works by 20 emerging photographers and filmmakers all presenting refreshing images of young black men whose looks challenge popular conceptions of black masculinity.
The exhibit which may soon be produced as a full-color catalogue has traveled to to Amsterdam, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA) in Brooklyn, as well as recently to Newark’s Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art,. Dandy Lion runs January 29 – May 13, 2012, 2012 at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore.
Featured Artists
Hanif Abdur-Rahim
Kwesi Abbensetts
Laylah Amatullah Barrayn
Kia Chenelle
Bouba Dola
Delphine Fawundu-Buford
Russsell K. Frederick
Cassi Amanda Gibson
Akintola Hanif
Jamala Johns
Caroline W. Kaminju
Phillis Kwentoh
Jati Lindsay
Lafotographeuse (née Amanda Adams-Louis)
Ray Llanos
Devin Mays
Terence Nance
Brandi Pettijohn
Radcliffe Roye
Nyugen E. Smith
Black Gold
George Lucas (Image courtesy of TvOvermind.com)
The success of the new film Red Tails is undeniable. Despite tepid (at best) reviews, the film finished a strong second at 19.1 million in its opening weekend. Theatres were sold out of every show and the internet was abuzz with chatter about why the black community had to go out and support this film. Most of this support, was fueled by George Lucas’ appearances in various media outlets urging black audiences to support the film to combat the racist underpinnings in Hollywood. Lucas suggested that by driving up box office sales for Red Tails the black community would send a resounding message to Hollywood that we wanted to see more black films on the big screen.
George Lucas who was reported to have invested 50+million of his own money in producing the film, claimed that for 20 years, he faced rejection from Hollywood studio execs that did not believe a big-budget film featuring a black cast would be commercially successful. Despite obvious truths in regards to the marginalization of black films, in my humble opinion, this was a clever and clearly effective marketing strategy that was overwhelmingly successful.
By galvanizing black audiences through tapping into the obvious frustrations at the lack of diversity in Hollywood, he created a wave- no a tsunami of support ensuring that the film, which the San Francisco Chronicle says “…Tuskegee Airmen deserve better”, be successful at the box office. Lucas made the black community believe that supporting “Red Tails” was in the best interest of the black community without providing tangible examples as to how. I believe that in all fairness and in an effort to avoid the dangers and exploitive potentials of this marketing strategy, that demands should be made of George Lucas to reciprocate the support afforded him, by reinvesting in programs that nurture aspiring and emerging African American filmmakers.
As such, I have created a petition which demands that fifteen percent of proceeds from box office sales be donated to HBCU’s which offer radio/film/television studies as a way of providing the type of resources and support the black community needs to see more Blacks competing with and within Hollywood.
Please support Red Tails if you choose, and in doing so ask that the black community be supported in return.
Off the EDGE
LIFT (Photo by Lynne Cymone)
You’ll be moved (pun intended), the week of Jan 23-29 as Atlanta’s Rialto Center for the Performing Arts teams up with art world rebels Lauri Stallings (gloATL) and Paul Boshears (continent) to present the Off the EDGE.
Off the Edge is a weeklong survey of contemporary, movement based art. The event is jam packed with exciting mind (and body)-bending performances from an international roster of experimental dance companies, theatrical productions and visual artists. Experience the work of one of America’s most acclaimed choreographers,Lar Lubovitch. Keigwin + Co. is known for their interactive theatrical performances which creates opportunities for the viewers themselves to get involved. Even local groups of national renown such as LIFT, Kennesaw State University Dance Company and Emory Dance will take the stage. And of course it would not be complete without the complex and always mind-altering presence of gloATL.
Taking up residence at both the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts as well as Occupy Atlanta’s old crib, Woodruff Park, the event promises to deliver upon the theme “the moving of things permits the formation of identities.”
Be sure to download the PDF schedule of all Off The Edge events… And check for a special presentation of work by yours truly Jan 27-28 6-7:30 pm as a part of the Off the Edge Public presentations near the Rialto Center!
Temporary (Insanity) Tattoos
What happens when you consent to your 10-year-old getting a little ink (a.k.a. tattoo)? YOU GO TO JAIL (do not pass Go)!
That’s exactly what happened to Chuntera Napier of Atlanta when authorities were notified that her 4th grade son had a real tattoo. Napier admitted she gave permission to and accompanied her son to a tattoo parlor where the young man was inked with a tribute to his recently deceased older brother. The brother was struck and killed by a teenaged driver at the age of 12 two years ago.
Napier says her son, who shares her grief, approached her and asked if he could get a tattoo to memorialize his brother, as she had done shortly after her son’s death. Napier felt she could not refuse her son’s request. She also thought the tattoo was legal as long as there was parental consent.
Clearly consent was not the parental responsibility this mother should have called upon. Instead she should have used the opportunity to suggest some other ways her son could honor his brother, maybe one less… permanent! Getting a tattoo is not a decision a 10-year-old should be able to make, regardless of the circumstances.
Let’s say we start granting any 10-year-old’s requests in response to traumas. Say 10 year old Lisa’s cat runs away. Distraught, she tells her dad she heard getting high would help her forget about Buttons. Do you pass her the dutchie ‘pon the left hand side?
What if L’Quavius is heartbroken over the fact that the doctors could not revive grandma after her stroke. Angry and confused, he tells mom he wants to be a doctor so he can save lives. Do you pass him a scapel and face mask and put him in the ER?
Sure, I think its really sad, the family’s loss. But grief is not an excuse for being a bad parent! I’m just saying.
The 15 Project 