Television News has been central to documenting the history of African-Americans in the 20th Century. While show business has definitely done its fair share of good and bad in shaping the images of black people around the world, the news at its core documents the ‘real life’ of black America. On to the breakdown… […]
The i’s have been dotted and the t’s have been crossed, so I’ve had to step up my preparation for my next project. I have a to do list of things I need to do before this show gets on the road. The last time I got on the scale, I was 15 pounds over […]
In one of my last classes of film school, we were asked to fill out a quasi-survey describing what we would be doing if we weren’t making movies. I forgot all the details of the survey, but I do remember my side occupation was ‘Criminal Mastermind.’ My mind is always flowing, and it’s built for […]
I know I’m a few days early with this one, but in light of recent events in pop culture, the timing feels right… In the group of guys that I came up with, there’s a handful of bachelors left. One of whom is about to get married for the second time. I won’t use his […]
Finally caught up to Frost/Nixon over the weekend. For those unfamiliar, Frost/Nixon is a highly fictionalized account of the buildup to the real series of interviews that took place between Robert Frost and Richard Nixon following the resignation of the former president. Based on the critically acclaimed stage play of the same name, Frost/Nixon […]
A few of the guys came by my pad for Super Bowl Sunday. Through sheer luck of the draw, they each symbolized a different aspect of my personality; one of my ‘Hollywood’ friends, one of the Muskeeteers (my clubbing partner in crime), and one of my frat brothers. I was reminded of an analogy another […]
Hollywood Shuffle was the first film written, directed, produced by and starring Robert Townsend. The autobiographical tale is simple enough; a young black actor finally gets his break in the Business, winning the part of the lead pimp in a ‘black’ mashup of West Side Story. The role is so brutally stereotypical though, he wonders […]
The Flip Wilson Show aired in the early part of the 1970s. Its run was relatively short, but it broke a lot of new ground for African-Americans on TV. Read on… Relevance: As the title suggests, the show was a variety show hosted by popular African-American comedian Flip Wilson. Flip’s show became a place […]
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