P a g e 4 P o r tla n d O b serv er M arch 16, 1989 ENTERTAINMENT BEHIND THEi SCENES * * * f i l a l i » » » » » » » » » » / < ». t i n n ì » » rjr. ». r ». ». ». » r j r r x r r r m r m /r r 'i r- r r m by Lisa Collins A rra ig n m e n t S cheduled F or A1 B. S u re: On March 22, W arner Bros R ecord’s hearthrob A1 B. Sure is scheduled to be arraigned on charges that he raped 23 y ear old M onique E d w ard s. Sure, (whose real nam e is Albert Brown) and his bodyguard, Soloman Miller were both arrested on February- 26 and charged with rape. The pair were released after posting $15,000 bail each, according to W est Hollywood S h e riff s station officials. Edwards, a pre-m ed student, is the sister o f actor Stoney Jackson, co-star o f “ The Insiders’’ and “ the W hile Shadow ’’ Jackson reportedly summoned the police when Edw ards returned to his Los Angeles home crying and half- dressed” . An attorney for the 23-year old pre-med student, has said that aside from crim inal charges, she will file a civil suit. A third party, Get fen recording artist, Chris W illiam s, was also named. (W illiam ’s debut LP is slated for release this month). M eanwhile, W arner Bros has had no com m ent, referring all calls to Sure’s Attorney. Hometown friends of Sure’s in M ount Vernon, New York, are shocked. ‘ ‘T here’s no w a y -th a t’s not A1 at all, “ said one. “ H e’s not violent. H e’s just not that kind of guy. On the other hand a source close to E dw ard s-T ravis Clark, executive producer o f “ A Man Called H aw k” , was outraged “ Black women have been raped enough in this society. This is not about money, it s about integrity and principle. “ ...As it stands, it appears the court will determine what really happened that night. In a related incident, Stoney Jackson re p o rte d ly w ent a fte r S u re w ith a pipe, during a perform ance at a Los Angeles Comedy Club. Jackson, who had to be restrained, had no comment. W h o ’s T h a t G uy: Amidst the controversy surrounding M adonna’s so called blasphemous “ Like A Prayer” video is an upcoming, black actor you’re sure to be seeing a lot more of. Preferring to be known simply as “ L eon’ ’, the 26-year old New York City native, portrays the black saint that M adonna kisses. Standing 6 ’3" Leon has stood out in films like “ C olors” “ The Flam ingo K id” , and “ All The Right M oves” , and most recently A BC-TV ’s four-hour presentation of “ The W omen ol Brewster Place . In it, he plays Robin G ivens’ lover and while L eon’s been cast in all types of roles, it his portrayal of lover to those like M adonna and Givens, that is sure to get the most mileage. During the filming o f “ Brew ster’s Place .T yson and Givens were very mush together, w ith Tyson on the set every day, with the exception o f the day o f the scheduled love scene with Leon and Robin. “ Fortunately for me it was the one day he w asn’t there. 1 remember him telling me that he had been reading my role at home with her, and I replied to him, I ju st hope I do as well as you do with her, and we both laughed.” Sidney P o iter H o n o red : The American Museum o f the Moving Image recently honored Sidney Poiter with a black-tie gala in New York. The 62- year old actor-director was quoted as saying, “ It does me good to know that there are people who feel that my work has encouraged them to do this....I rather like it. Because the bulk o f my life and my work is certainly behind me ” Speaking o f Poiter, he was W arner B ros’ first choice to p o rtra y the c o n tro v ersial P rin cip al Jo e C la rk in “ Lean On M e’” but turned it down (reportedly telling the studio that he didn’t believe in C lark’s politics). Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy were approached, but had other commitments. Danny Glover was also considered, but the film ’s writer fought for Freeman w ho’d won an academy award nomination for his work in Street Smart W ith the raves he is getting for his portrayal of Clark, Freeman may just win a second academy aw ard nom ination. S h o rt T akes: Kim Field’s current heartthrob is the eldest son o f Rev. Jesse Jackson....and this columnist extends heartfelt sym pathies to veteran actor Brock Peters on the passing of his wife, Didi, after a long bout with cancer...N ext w eek As e a rlie r p rom ised , El D eB arge talk s candidly a b o u t his c a re e r an d the recen t d ru g scan d al th a t ro ck ed his fam ily. On The Money S ears B oosts C red it L in e to M in ority Banks: Sears, Roebuck & Co. increased to $30 m illion, its revolving line o f credit with a syndicate of 60 m inority-ow ned banks. The move demonstrates that small, minority ow ned banks can do business with major corporations. Alvin Boutte, CEO o f black-ow ned Independence Bank of Chicago, the syndicate’s lead bank, said “ it also stim ulates growth for minority banks and the minority com m unities that they serve.” G riffey D en ies O p eratin g In Bad Faith: A spokesman for Dick * * AN U PD A T E ON R H Y T H M & BLUE SIN G E R . R U TH B RO W N * * * town! * (A re-print of a article by Ted Mahar on Garland Lee Thompson, in The Oregonian, dated 15 years ago, Summer, 1974) P O R T L A N D L O SE S O U T ON BR O A D W A Y PLAY * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * the story by the m onth’s end. * A Look at Flo J o -A m e r ic a ’s Q ueen o f Seoul as entrepreneur: * 29 year old Florence G riffith-Joyner, may be the fastest woman in the world, but she was the slowest to announce her post-Olympic game plan, due in part to the fact that sh e’s had so many endorsem ent offers to sift through, and underwent a rigorous schedule of personal appearances. Her recent retirement from track and field came as no great surprise, and while Joyner has not entirely settled on all the endorsem ent offers she will take, first on the agenda is a Flo-Jo Doll, scheduled to make its debut later this year. Then there is the line of athletic sportswear and fashions, with her signature look reflective o f the s ty le ,- ’’high-cut legs and low-cut tops that give more * W ith C am p aign F ea tu rin g C over M odel Search: Essence will launch it latest campaign for readers with a cover model search, beginning May 8-13 in Los Angeles. Coordinators will visit malls in ten U.S. cities, including Detroit, Chicago, Jacksonville, and Charlotte, looking for the one woman who “ em bodies the Essence spirit.” Ten sem i-finalists will be chosen (all of whom will be featured in the m agazine) and will vie at a final event to be held in New York City. The winner of this finale will appear on the cover o f E ssence’s 20th Anniversary issue. These books pinpoint Black inven tors through astronauts. by Garland Lee Thompson After reporting here in Broadway Bound Report, about singer, Ruth Brown, suffering a heart attack, several weeks ago, 1 am delighted to update the story with the news that she has recovered and is currendy starring with Linda Hopkins and Carrie Smith, in the new Broadway musical, “ Black And Blue,” at the M inskoff Theatre in New York. “ Write on, ‘cause Ms. Brown is back in * * E ssen ce C eleb ra tes 20th A n n iversary Order Black Achiever« Activities Books for Children, Grades K-8th. * Griffey Productions had no comment on whether or not Griffey was still looking to sell SOLAR Records after negotiations with Motown fell through. G riffey, who denied in Billboard Magazine, charges that he had been operating during the negotiations in bad faith, said that a closer look at the contract, called for some adjustm ents,-adjustm ents M otown w asn’t willing to make. W hile, there was no com m ent on rumors that Griffey was having financial troubles or that he was shopping a deal with Capitol and CBS, Griffey is slated to make an announcements as well as tell his side of m ovem ent.” ★★★ it Build Your Child's Self-Esteem IB U JM L IFIEIPCICT * 1..Ä * * * * * * * For a few minutes last week, it seemed that the Broadway hit, “ The River Niger,” might play in Portland in August with most of the original cast, but it was not to be. The show did stop in Seattle (it was a local com pany), and its production stage manager, former Portlander, Garland (Lee) Thom pson (correction: he stage m anaged the Broadway production in New York), tried to find a place for it in his home town, but he just couldn’t. “ Civic Theater would have been ideal, and they were very agreeable, but they’re com m itted to their SRO shows, and we would have had to play the worst theater nights of the week, Sunday through T uesday,” Thom pson said. “ Lewis and Clark College was extremely helpful, and I hope we can work something out with them later, but for this show , they’re too far away from Portland’s black population center, and the transportation would have been a hassle (this was in 1974). ‘ ‘Location is important for this show,’ ’ Thom pson said. “ You don’t w ant it in a ghetto where whites are scared to go, an d y d u d o n ’t w an tit so tar away blacks w on’t go. It’s a black show, but not for exclusively black audiences” (a common misconcept). Thompson has been doing well since his last visit to The O regonian (office) five years ago (actually 1968). The most spectacular success with which he’s ben associated has been “ The River N iger” (Tony winner, 1973) for which he was production stage manager when it played at the Brooks A tkinson on Broadway, closing in February after 35 weeks in which it made $618 under $1 million. (& Pulitzer Prize play, “ No Place To Be Som ebody,” ’73) He has supervised backstage activities in various capacities in New York and Los Angeles and on road tours in between. He has also worked with former Portlander Paul W infield, whom he did not know when they were living here (as kids). Winfield starred in one of Thompson’s play, “ Sisyphus and the Blue-Eyed C yclops,’ ’ 1970, at the Actors Studio in Los Angeles (a later winner o f the 42nd Annual O ne-A ct Play Festival in W ashington, D.C., 1973) W hile most o f T hom pson’s experiences have been with black plays, including his own, he once stage managed a San Francisco production of the farce “ Norman, Is That Y ou?” (opened the show, left it in SF and it ran for months). He has worked in New York with Joseph Papp (as a stage manager, ’71), through whom he got the opportunity to direct another o f his own plays (“ Sisyphus” ), with A1 Freeman Jr. (and A dolf Caesar) starring. He has also worked with the Negro Ensemble Company (where they first staged “ Sisyphus” in New York, produced by Michael Schultz at NEC), and is currcnily active in the Frank Silvera W riters W orkshop (the founding director o f and currently, president o f the board), one of the activities of the non-profit Black Theater Alliance (under Joan Sandler, until the W orkshop spun-off and moved uptown to Harlem). Thom pson has worked in college atmospheres and continues to do so (currendy forming a new special 10 week course on “ African American playw rights,” W ed., March 27lh, 6:20PM at PSU for the Black Studies Dept). In tact, he got to New York via a bus and truck to u r o f “ N o P laceT o B e Somebody,” (it was actually the original National Tour back to Broadway, 1971) which he stage managed from New England to the Deep South (he really directed the southern tour and another national com pany 1972-73). “ The audiences were friendly in the South,Thom pson said. “ For one thing, we played mostly colleges cam puses, and we had often been invited by the black student unions, but the audiences were always well mixed, and never had any trouble.” Thom pson said he would like to sec in Portland a situation which has helped him and other writers back East; The use o f a college as a springboard for new talent (such as the PSU course). “ W e read plays by young black and third world writers and try to find ways of getting them performed,” Thompson said. Promising plays are taped by professional actors who donate their time, and the young playw rights are given constructive criticism by writers who have been successful (known playw rights coming to PSU). “ Hunter College has provided a place for Silvera W orkshop plays to be performed (it was correctly readings at City College of New York and Princeton University’s first Black Theatre Festival, 1974-75). One o f my plays was perform ed there ( “ S isy p h u s” at Princeton, and at City College, “ Jesse A nd T he G am es, Jesse O w ens, O lym paid,” is 1984) and it was a great experience. I was sent there as an artist in residence so I could work with the student (a young black Princeton woman, Niamani Mulima, 1975) who was directing my play. (Thanks to Ted Mahar, who was the theatre and film critic for The Oregonian in 1974.) * * * * MRS C’S WIGS * * * W H O L E S A L E & R E T A IL * H U N D R E D S O F W IG S * * * * D ock ery S tretch es O ut In T V : Now SI Com m unications, Inc., Bob * D ockery’s S y n d icate-Il Productions continues to branch out into TV projects in a big way, with three new program s on the launch pad, including “ The O ther Side o f V ictory” - a n in-depth sports m agazine format, hosted by Arthur Ashe; a tw o-hour primetime entertainm ent special documenting blacks in com edy and hosted by Tim Reid; and “ Red, Hot, & C ool” , - a half-hour, late night, music series, hosted by Nancy W ilson. It was in 1980, that Bob Dockery, became the first to open a syndication firm specializing in the developm ent in black pro-gramming for rad io ,-u rb an contemporary formats. Today, his radio schedule includes over a dozen programs including the Jesse Jackson Com m entary, which runs daily. In 1987, Dockery ventured into television. According to VP, Shirley Neal, while they arc “ trying to develop more general market program m ing, by no means are we trying to get out o f radio.’ * ( V, TUIS-SAT 11i3O-6«<X> Z * * * * * * NAOMI SIMS • BORNFREE • MICHAEL WEEKS BETTY CABINE PROPRIETOR * * K -4 V o l. $6.95 ca. I Qty Ami Inventors _____ ___ K -4 V o l. I I Inventors ____ ___ 5 -8 V o i. I l l In Space 5 -8 V o l. I V W om en _____ ____ A d d $ .2 5 p er b o o k fo r postage M a il to: M ills Enterprises P . O . Box 11072 Portland, Oregon, Oregon 97211 T elep h o n e (5 0 3 ) 6 8 1 -0 8 7 4 AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN’S READING GROUP PREPARE TO VIEW T.V. MOVIE “THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE” TOGETHER Sunday; March 19 and Monday, March 20 on K ATU-Channel 2, the public and a group o f twelve A FRICAN-AM ERICAN women in the Portland area, will share the lives o f seven very different A frican-A m erican women depicted in G loria N aylor’s award winning book, The W om en of Brewster Place. The T.V. movie was produced by Oprah W infrey, famous talk show host. Ms. W infrey also stars as the lead female character whose role it is to be the com m on link betw een the women as they live through the joys and struggles o f the A frican-A m erican experience. For the twelve women viewing it on T.V. together w ill be a sym bolic rem inder o f the good feelings that they have had over the last two years since being a part o f the group that meets every six weeks to discuss books that they have read and enjoyed. Chris Poole and Lessie H ouston, co-founders o f the reading group, state that the purpose o f the group was to becom e more familiar with African-A m erican female authors o f the past and present. Nay lor ’ s book was the first book that was read by the group. Since February, 1986, the group of twelve women have read over sixteen books w hich have included such authors as Zora Neale H urston’s Their Eyes W ere W atching G od, J. California C ooper’s H omemade Love, Shirley Anne W illiam s’ Dcssa Rose, Terry M cM illans’ M AM A, and Pulitzer Prize W inner, Toni M orrison’s Beloved. Their current book is Proud Shoes: The Story o f An American Family, by Pauli Murray. The purpose has m ost definitely been met, but it has also provided a deeper sense of sisterhood among the women. The benefits o f such a group includes: m eeting new friends, honoring past A frican-A m erican women, creating an atm osphere o f openness to different opinions about life, and realizing that all our individual gifts and uniqueness helps us all to reach our full potential. The group, which consists of Evelyn Minor-Lawrence, Clevonne Jackson, Renee W ilkerson-A nderson, Bernice MacRae, A ntoinette Edw ards, Audrey Haynes, Sharon W hite, H arriet Adair, Ora Hart, Donna M axey-Pom crantz, Faye W illiam s-Bell, and Jean Stuart encourage other A frican-A m erican women to get viewing parties together for this w onderful happening this weekend. Past original members who still provide support for the group; Jean Hartzog, Trish Ryan and Donna Kelly; will be with the group in spirit. If anyone would like to read the book before Sunday’s airing, a paperback edition can be purchased at B. Dalton Booksellers for $3.95. Please enrich your life and watch it with your mother, daughter and other friends. FOR YOUR EVERCHANGING LIFESTYLES * * Grades "x ANO OTHER NAME BRANDS EVERYTHWG FROM CURRENT STYLES TO SPECIALTY WIGS UNDUE HAB ORNAMENTS HAB BEADS & BEAUTY SUPPLIES MRS. C’S EBONY ESSENCE COSMETICS BEAUTICIAN ZURIC0SMETTS & STUDENT 281-6525 DISCOUNTS 100% HUMAN HAB FOR BRAIDING & ★ Best Cash Prices ★ Speedy Service DAD’S OIL SERVICE Heating Oils 104 N.E. R ussell St. Portland, O R 97212 (503) 282-5111 7th & FREMONT (707 N.E. FREMONT) PORTLAND OBSERVER * “ The Eyes and Ears of the Community" * 2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 *