■MNWMMlîMMtatb* IBS,* • . • t. ■ ' ♦ • I W" »***• * « *w W • W W • <• *■ « February 9,1989 • Portland Observer • Page 7 Behind-The-Scenes by Lisa Collins LaToya’s Thrilling Them Now: 33-year old LaToya Jackson is nab bing entertainment industry headlines this week as she bares it all in a 12- page Playboy magazine spread that was slated to hit the newsstands some tim e this week. Apparently, LaToya feels women shouldn't be ashamed of their bodies. However, LaToya’s recent behaviour, as well as her move to New York, has the whole Jackson clan worried. According to sources close to the family, repeated attempts by family members have been made to talk sense into LaToya, about both the move to New York, and her cur rent manager, who has a somewhat checkered past. However, it appears LaToya is enjoying all too well, her newfound fre e d o m ... Meanwhile, the release date on sister J a n e t’s u p c o m in g LP has been pushed back from March to May. NAACP C hapter President Slaps A rs e n io H all W ith $10 M illio n Law s u it: Willis Edwards, president of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood chapter of the NAACP alleges that Hall defamed him earlier this month when Hall accused him of extortion during a radio show. All this, of course, stems from last month’s charges on the part of Edwards that Hall practiced racism with his failure to hire blacks in key positions on his nationally syndicated talk show. An angry Hall maintained that he has hired key blacks, stating in one interview that he was a “ 29- year-old guy who all my life watched these boy’s clubs on TV. Why no women? Why no blacks? I’m trying to change th a t... My director was white, but so was the director for the NAACP Image Aw ards.” For the record, Hall has also instituted both an intern pro gram, as well as a job placement program for minorities ... M eanw hile th e N AAC P w as tu rn e d d o w n on a m e e tin g w ith C BS to d is c u s s “ F ra n k ’s P lace,” after launching a letter campaign that resulted in more than 30,000 letters to the network requesting that "Frank’s Place” be put back on TV. CBS-TV President Laurence Tisch stated that the meeting wouldn’t do any good. However, the NAACP says they will Wild Women Don't Have The Blues uses a rich blend of songs, archival photos, contemporary performances, and interviews to tell the story of America's earliest generation of great women blues singers, (above) The "M other of the Blues" Ma Rainey with her Georgia Jazz Band. To air on OPB-TV at 10:00 p.m., ET, on February 24,1989. PORTLAND OBSERVER American Playhouse premieres its eighth season with Lorraiane Hansberry's classic play, "A Raisin In The Sun." (above I. to r.) Kim Yancy, Starletta DuPois, Esther Rolle, and Danny Glover portray members of a Black American family at a crucial turning point in their lives. 2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 b y G a r la n d L e e T h o m p s o n Theatre run. She have been working steadily since opening the season in “ Simply Heavenly,” at Portland State University and Storefront s, “ Zooman and the Sign.” She, along with Neal Thomas, Denise W illiam s and G re gory Donovan have been “on a roll” in what has already been called “the nineth w ave” for Black Theatre per formers in this city. The producers "dropped the ball" on the one, while the actors are getting raves reviews, she noted. The IFCC, however, is reporting a near sell-out second week for “ The Colored M useum ,” and is going into the W inningstad Theatre (Feb. 23rd, 24th, and 25th) for the final week with a hit. W rite on, IFCC. AFRICAN-AM ERICAN PLAYW RIGHTS, THEIR CRAFT AND LEGACY The Black Studies Dept. of Port land State University has set a new 10-week special course on “ African- American Playwrights, Their Craft and Legacy.” From the Harlem Renais sance, the Federal Theatre days, the Sixities, to the Eighties, the American Black Theatre Movement has pre sented many new artists on “the World Stage,” from Langston Hughes, Lot- ten Mitchell, Ted Ward, Lorraine Hansberry, Ntozake Shange, Char les Fuller, August Wilson, to George C. W olfe (“ The Colored M useum ” ), And what's the score: Tonys, three Pulitzer Prizes, New York Drama Desk Awards, many Audelco Black The atre Awards, New York Obies and perhaps make a contribution to Wohle Soyinka’s Nobel Prize. G alileo," according to reports. The PSU course is scheduled for BLACK ACTORS TO FEEL this Spring term, starting W ednesday THE EFFECTS OF evening, March 15th, 1989,6:20 p.m. NEW ROSE DEFICIT to9 :4 0 p .m . Dr. Darrell Millner, Chair The Black actors who have been man of the Black Studies Dept. has active in Portland area theatre, will ask me to conduct to the exciting new feel the effects of the postponement. course and bring in several known Brenda Phillips, currently starring in produced and published Black play “ The Colored M useum,” theatre, was wrights to appear during the course scheduled to perform a role in Soy inka’s “ Horsem an,” after her IFCC series. not let the matter rest and is actively pressing for another meeting date. G u illiam e--M an In W aitin g : Robert Guilliame, who is capping off two more episodes of his "R obert Guilliame Show,” is also crossing his fingers for an air date. Guilliam e is high on this project in which he” ll play a divorced marriage counselor, who is romantically involved with his at tractive, white secretary. However, thus far, the series has not been targeted with an air date. Guilliam e is quoted as saying: ‘‘we'll wait like buzzards in the sky to see if we can go on the air as a spring re p la ce m e n t... S p eaking o f TV, th e G o rd y C o m p a n y w ill m ake it ’s TV d e b u t next week with their upcoming m ini-se ries, “The Lonesome Dove," W hich stars Robert Ulrich, Ricky Schroder, Angelica Houston, Tommy Lee Jones, and Danny Glover. Suzanne de Passe serves as executive producer of the show, which is being shown February 5-8. S h o rt T akes: The Beastie Boys want out of their contract with Def Jam Records. DefJam says no way, but according to industry insiders, The Beastie Boys are shopping a deal with Capitol Records. However, it will be some time before this legal squabble is all squared away ... The release date for “ Lean On M e,” the movie depicting the real-life story of Princi pal Joe Clark has been moved up to March 3... Howard Hewett seen around town with his steady, Motown record ing artist Nia Peeples, who is soon to be seen in film, “ Deep Star Six.” In te re ste d in a re c o rd in g c o n tra ct? MCA Records has agreed to sponsor this year’s Showcase '89 on Radioscope, which while billing itself as “the entertainment magazine of the air” is syndicated nationally in over 90 US markets. According to vice-president, Diane Blackmon- Bailey, grand prize winners will re- ; ceive an MCA recording contract. A.D. Washington, M CA’s VP of prom o tion, is spear-heading the national effort, however all inquiries for S how case “ 89 should be made directly to Diane Blackm on-Bailey at (213) 969- 0011. The Portland Music Association is accepting applications to perform at this year’s M ayor's Ball to be held at the Memorial Coliseum on April 22, 1989. W hile the emphasis is on origi nal contem porary styles of music, the PM A is recruiting all styles of musical acts including: gospel, dixieland, swing, classical, folk, ethnic musical styles, bluegrass, country, dance groups, and theatrical performers. Applications are available at local night clubs, record stores, and music stores. The applications must be received by the Portland Music Asso ciation no later than Friday, Feb. 17 to be considered. The Ball is a charitable com m unity service project, withy this year’s pro ceeds going to benefit the Oregon Fund for the Homeless and Hungry, Outside In, Burnside Projects’ Youth Shelter House, and St. Francis Din ing Hall. You may receive an application by mail by sending a self-addressed, stamped, legal size envelope to Peter Mott, Project Coordinator, 1338 SE Miller Street, Portland, Oregon 97202. For further inform ation you may call the Project Coordinator at 231 -4843. Availability Of Oregon Teacher Corps Loan Applications For 1989-90 Applications for the Oregon Teacher Corps program for the 1989-90 aca demic year are now available. This program is a loan forgiveness pro gram aimed at attracting qualified individuals into the teaching profes sion. Of interest to you is the fact that special consideration is given in the selection process of minority student applicants. Those students who qual ify for this program can have their Oregon Teacher Corps loans forgtiven if they teach full-tim e for three years in a public elem entary or secondary school in Oregon. Invites you HIo (The COOL’R Autograph Signing DATE: Tuesday, February 14th TIME: 4:00-6:00 P.M. LOCATION: 32nd & East Burnside RECORDS RECORDS RECEIVE FREE GIFT WRAPPING AND A CARNA TION FOR YOUR SW EETHEART WITH THE PURCHASE OF THE DEBUT A&M RECORDS RELEASE FROM CO O L’R DURING SIGNING. Music M illennium \VV PORTLAND EAST PORTLAND 23rd & N.W. Johnson 248-0163 32nd & Burnside 231-8926 I ’. ’ A ' V ’. ‘ i* , • •* • <; ' ’■ I Ailrffc ' . f,- • Music Millennium Fifth Annual Mayor’s Ball Recruiting Performers B roadway B ound W OHLE SOYINKA PLAY POSTPONED AT NEW ROSE THEATRE The latest work of W ohle Soyinka, the first African Nobel Prize w inner for literature (1987), “ Death and the King’s Horsem an,” has been postponed by the the New Rose Theatre and re scheduled for February, 1990. Artis tic Director, Michail Griggs, whose Portland company, along with the Storefront Theatre, went into the W inningstad Theatre in the new Per forming Arts Center last season. THE W HOLE SCENE'S CHANGED Griggs is quoted: “(Portland) Center Stage opening was like plopping a huge bass in a goldfish pond. Sud denly the whole scene's changed." The new company from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has a $1.6 million inaugural season and it is reported that attendance has been a healthy 15 percent above the pro jected break-even point, while New Rose has been forced into severe cutbacks in its direct competition with Center Stage, for money and audi ences. New rose subscriptions fell 25 percent this season to about 1,000. Single-ticket sales for the season’s first two shows also dropped badly. “ Two years ago we were a major theatre in Portland. Now w e’re sort of the smallest of the den size com pa nies. It changes the way you look at things,” said Griggs. New Rose did not do well at the box office with several of its Winningstad shows, including “the Woods," “ Misalliance,” "A Touch of the Poet" and “ Life of “ The Eyes and Ears of the Community” hlMtr.ìfYLlì Milli lì B ITI rullili * • * * * ’ • ... • ■>' ' i- . ¡V * ’V -J f-t • •> • •irç .«ly. .M LI ¡rjsï: St' * » -, ¿ > 4 .0 . -Ì** - X. *" -, V' / , : . / ? - - (£ fé .