P a g e 4 P o r tla n d O b serv er M arch 16, 1989
ENTERTAINMENT
BEHIND THEi
SCENES
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f i l a l i » » » » » » » » » » / < ». t i n n ì » » rjr. ». r ». ». ». » r j r r x r r r m
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/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
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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
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town!
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(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
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the story by the m onth’s end.
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A Look at Flo J o -A m e r ic a ’s Q ueen o f Seoul as entrepreneur:
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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
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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
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E ssen ce C eleb ra tes 20th A n n iversary
Order Black Achiever« Activities
Books for Children, Grades K-8th.
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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
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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.)
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MRS C’S WIGS
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W H O L E S A L E & R E T A IL
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H U N D R E D S O F W IG S
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D ock ery S tretch es O ut In T V : Now SI Com m unications, Inc., Bob
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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.’
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TUIS-SAT
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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
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