January 5, 1989 • Portland Observer • Page 5
ENTERTAINMENT
★★
;•
BEHIND THE
SCENES
py Lisa Collins
C a u g h t Up In C h ris tm a s C ru sh :
M otown’s new wonder group. “ The
Boys” were almost caught up in the
Christmas crush, when fighting broke
out while they were perform ing in a
California mall over the holidays.
Things got a little tense as some of
the stage equipm ent cam e tumbling
down. The Boys, who w ere under
standably a little shaky, stiff m an
aged to retain their composure. Gangs
were said to be at the root of the near
riot, and the entire mall was shut
down for a few hours until calm could
be restored. Speaking of the Boys, it
appears NBC has given a green light
to begin development on a cartoon
series that will feature the new hit
group.
in o th e r h o lid a y h a p p e n in g s ,
actress ‘Beverly Todd of Clara’s Heart
soon-to-be-released “ Lean On M e,"
had a few people over on Christmas
Eve. Among those who turned up
were Natalie Cole and Sheryl Lee
Ralph ... A n d S h a u n ic e W ils o n ’s
v e rs io n o f “ R u d o lp h The Red-
N osed R e in d e e r” was a smash hit
as Radioscope’s Christmas Caravan
Concert held annually at the Watts
W illowbrook Center. Backing her up
were her mother, Crystal and aunt
Penny who are them selves scouting
about for a record label under the
name of Crystal Penny. It seems
talent runs in the family.
A N ew Day For J a s m in e G uy At
A D iffe re n t W o rld : Jasm ine Guy is
finding her work much more exciting
this year. She even likes her own
character more. “ “ W hen I first read
for the role,” said Guy, “ I thought
W hitley was too mean and too south
ern for people to accept. This year,
she's more hum an." She attributes
most of the show's newfound suc
cess to the contributions Debbie A l
len has made as producer. "Debbie
has brought so much energy to the
show, and I don’t think that she is
afraid. Last year, I believe the show’s
producers were scared to touch some
of the issues that w ere relevant to
IB O IJ M D
K IE IP D IC T
today’s youth. This year, for me, is
more fun and relevant to the tim es.”
As to her sexy image, Guy says she’ll
leave that to her TV viewers to de
cide. “ I'm just being me. I’ve always
gotten a lot of attention from m en."
Yet, it is undoubtedly an image she
dresses to suit, and hopes one day to
parlay into a successful recording
career. S he’s already recorded a
demo, but for now no one is biting.
Arsenio Hall Struts His Stuff:
The long-awaited hour-long talk show
starring com edian-actor Arsenio Hall
will debut this week, with a lineup that
boasts Brooke Shields, Victoria Prin
cipal, Luther Vandross, W hoopi
Goldberg, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Robert Downey and singer Bobby
Brown. Now that’s drawing power.
Richard Pryor Faces Paternity
Suit: G eraldine Mason, a 28-year
old actress w ho had a small part in
Richard Pryor’s 1986 feature “ Jo
Dancer, Your Life Is C alling,” has
filed a paternity suit against the ac
tor-comedian and is seeking $10,745
a month in support. By all accounts,
Pryor is not denying that he fathered
Franklin M atthew Pryor, now close to
two years old, and has reportedly
been paying $1,000 a month. A
hearing has been set for January
19th. In the meantime, Mason’s lawyer
Marvin Mitchelson is hopeful that the
tw o will com e to term s out of court.
Did She O r D idn’t She: Only 30-
year old W alter Bridgeforth knows
for sure, but according to the Detroit
Free Press R&B superstar Anita
Baker married Bridgeforth, her steady
of two years on Christm as Eve in De
troit. The $1,500 wedding dress was
reportedly bought at Jacobson’s in
Gross Pointe. Baker recently pur
chased a hom e in Gross Pointe. Both
bride and groom are Detroit natives.
There had been much speculation
that it was only a m atter of tim e until
the couple tied and knot, and even
that Baker was pregnant. Baker denied
the rumor, stating to Radioscope, a
nationally syndicated radio program
that “ I am just fat and happy.”
THE N A A C P’S RECENT THIRD GREAT BLACK AM ERICAN ARTISTS
AW ARD GALA honored Jacob Lawrence, the great Am erican painter,
humanist, historian and teacher. A m em ber of the American Academy
of Arts & Letters, Mr. Lawrence is a past winner of the NAACP’s
coveted Spingarn Medal (1970). Mr. Lawrence was raised in Harlem
and recently retired as a professor at the University of W ashington.
Pictured at the Gala were (left to right) Granville L. Stevens, Senior
Counsel for Revlon, Inc. and a m em ber of the Benefit Urban League
Guild; Gwendolyn (Mrs. Jacob) Lawrence; and Jacob Lawrence.
CORETTA SCOTT KING PRESENTS John H. Bryan, Jr., chairman and
chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corporation, with a com m em ora
tive plaque of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s fam ous speech, “ I Have a
D ream .”
Metropolitan Human Relations
Commission Announces Awards Luncheon
The 15th Annual Metropolitan
Human Relations Commission Awards
Luncheon will be held at Noon, Fri
day, Jan. 13, 1989 at the Red Lion
Roberta Flack And Ossie Davis Named
1989 Sony Master Innovators
SO N YC O R PO R A TfO N OF AM ERICA hasannounced that Gram m y Award-winning arranger/vocalist Roberta
Flack and distinguished actor/director Ossie Davis have joined Sony as Master Innovators for the 1989 Sony
Innovators Program. Begun by the com pany last year, the Program honors up-and-com ing Black artists who
have dem onstrated excellence and creativity in their work.
MRS C’S WIGS
T,
place in Virginia, in the fall to early
winter of 1864. There are several
scenes of various out-door and inte
rior lacales; work fields, ex-slaves’
campsites, a Yankee prison )(Where
“ Prince” who is an ex-slave turned
Union Army soldier, is a jailer), reli
gious meeting hallos, etc.
Samuel L. Jackson, powerfully
plays “ Prince,” the black jailer, who
finds himself in the juxtaposed posi
tion of guarding a new Southern White
Confederate spy (Raynor Scheine),
who forced to run again now as an
escaped ex-slave, turned killer,
“ Prince” hides among other ex-slaves,
played convincingly by Ed Wheeler
( “ B u rn e r” ),
G ra h a m
B ro w n
(“ Stubbs” ), Rosanna Carter (“ Car
rie"), Carl Gordon (“ Quash” ) and
Peggy Alston (Quash's wife, “Mary").
Carla Brothers is very interesting
as “ Tiche,” the mulatta ex-slave girl,
who offers herself to “ Prince," who
rejected her as too young. This sets
up the scene for Prince’s apparent
(but maybe not) knife murdering by
“ Lu,” the ex-slave woman, played
with great depth by Hattie Winston,!
who thinks he has tried to rape Tiche
while he really spawned her affec-
tions. I see this as Fuller’s “ Black
Play.”
A simple one-fits-all, set design by
Charles McClennahan, with helpful
jail cell pattern and area lighting by
Arthur Reese. The correct Civil W ar
period costumes are by Judy Dearing
I envision another “ m ovie” here
for Charles Fuller, who neatly audi
tions well his pieces at the NEC
“ class act” for Hollywood and all the
world to see, first on stage. Yes, this
appears to be this playwright/screen-
w riter’s working device, rather than
just submitting to Hollywood another
long historical screenplay about Blacks
in racists America in the 1860’s. Why
not show them the concept first, since
“ LA Land” seems to have such “ a
short attention spare” and lack of
vision when it comes to reading
unpublished or produced Black or
even White new works for that m at
ter. It usually has to make the best
sellers or Broadway hit list first, to
receive proper notice from ‘th e movie
m oguls,” to be seriously considered
for film production.
“ W rite on,” Charlie, I’ll see you at
‘th e movies” after w e’ve first seen
your new work on stage at NEC. It
“the form ula” works, why not? “ Write
on.”
G rand O pening !
Stop & Go
Restaurant
o
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
HUNDREDS OF WIGS
(Inn, Lloyd Center in the Multnomah
Room. U.S. Congressm an Les Au-
Coin will be the keynote speaker.
The luncheon is $12.50 and open
to the public. Reservations are re
quested by January 6 and may be
made by calling the Metropolitan
Human Relations Commission, 796-
5136, during regular office hours,
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. The facility is wheelchair acces
sible and the program will be signed
for the hearing impaired and deaf. For
more information about accessibility,
call Jan Campbell, Disability Project
Coordinator, Metropolitan Human
Relations Commission, 796-5210. The
TDD num ber is 796-5393.
The luncheon is held each year in
com m em oration of the spirit and work
of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
and is scheduled tw o days prior to his
birthday. Several awards will be pre
sented. The Russell A .Peyton Award,
named for the first executive director
of the Metropolitan Human Relations
Commission, is presented to an indi
vidual who makes outstanding achieve
ments in the areas of human and civil
rights. The Sonja Hilton Award is
presented for advocacy for the rights
of people with disabilities. A Special
Recognition Award will be given, and
students who have written com peti
tively superior essays on the subject
of improving intergroup relations will
be recognized with a Harriet Tubman
Essay Award.
by Garland Lee Thompson
For those of us who are Charles Soap" scene in the saga and play
STRONG BLACK ACTORS
Fuller fans ("Zoom an and the Sign” ),
AT NEC
the latest of his works just opened at
Director of the Two-part Series of
the Negro Ensemble Com pany’s
Theatre Four in New York City. This plays is NEC co-founder, Douglas
time, it is a two-part series of Am eri Turner Ward, who once again has
can Civil W ar plays entitled, “ W E," some of the strongest acting en
with Part I, called “Sally” and” Prince," semble talent (Black and White) in
the country and the world to draw on
is the title of Part II.
I saw “ Prince," in preview prior to in one of New York's most famous
its official opening on December 18th, Black Theatre companies.
Forever youthful, Alvin Alexis seals
1988. This NEC production of the
the
plot line aptly, with his role of
series is dedicated to the memory of
“
Norm
an,” the young black Union
the late great actor, Adolph Caesar,
soldier,
who immortalizes “ Prince’s
who created the Academy Award
Legend,”
as he embellishes the tale
nominated film and stage perform
of
the
jail
killing of the so-called,
ance of “the Sergeant” in “ A Sol
important
Southern
spy until it be
dier’s Play.” Fuller won the Pulitzer
come
“the
new
Soldier's
Story” of a
Prize for that NEC Off Broadway
Black
folk
hero.
Playwright,
Fuller
production and was also the first
continues
to
work
out
his
historical
Black writer to be nominated for
Academy Award for Best screenplay Black soldier’s "Karma" with this new
of the Norman Jewison directed Film, work as he did with “ The Brownville
Raid” (Originally read in 1974 at the
"A Soldier’s Story."
Frank Silvera W riters’ W orkshop in
COULD THIS BE ANOTHER
New York and produced by NEC)
FILM AFTER IT ’S STAGED?
“ Prince (Part II of “ W E ” ) takes and the award-winning, “ A Soldier’s
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LARRY NEAL M EM ORIAL SEMINAR SERIES with Charles Fuller (left)
Pulitizer Prize W inning Playwright and Garland Lee Thom pson (right),
1983-84 season.
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