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Page 6 Portland Observer April 6, 1989
ENTERTAINMENT
BEHIND THE:
SCENES
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by Lisa Collins
BEHIND-THE-SCENES
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H ollyw ood G rieves W ith Beverly T o d d : Hearts have gone out to Lean On
M c’s leading lady, Beverly Todd, and a dear friend of this columnist, with
the passing o f her teenaged son last weekend. 18 year old Malik Smith, who
was in Salt Lake City on a skiing vacation, died at a local hospital from brain
injuries ju st two days after he was beaten into unconsciousness in a teen
disco in the Salt Lake City suburb of W est Valley City. John Tavo Leota,
18, was arrested and held without bail on suspicion o f second-degree
hom icide, according to W est Valley City Police Sgt. Thayle Nielsen. The
suspect had a juvenile record and was known For fighting. Said Nielsen,
“ the real tragedy is the suspect ju st went around and picked fights and this
guy (Sm ith) just happened to be the target. It was an unprovoked attack.”
Todd was in New York doing promotion for “ Lean On M e” , when word of
her so n ’s attack came. Condolences from the entertainm ent community
have been numerous, including those from former co-stars Louis Gossett,
fellow Lean On Me castm ate Robert G uilliam e, W hoopi Goldberg (whose
arch-nem isis was portrayed by Todd in “ C lara’s H eart” ), and Richard
Pryor (with whom Todd co-starred in “ M oving” ). If yo u ’d like to extend
your condolences, just address your card or note to Beverly T odd, c/o CS A,
333 N. C entinela Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90302.
R o b e rt G uilliam e T o M ake A n o th er TV Bow: After nearly a year of
w aiting, ‘ ‘The Robert G uilliam e Show ” , is finally set to make its TV debut.
Starting April 5, the show will bow in “ Hooperman’s” 9:30 slot (Wednesdays)
on ABC. Guilliame will star as a divorced marriage counselor who is
rom ancing his while secretary (played by Wendy Phillips), ( “ Hooperman
is on hiatus).
B ridges Goes T o C o u rt: 23 year-old actor Todd Bridges will stand trial on
one-count of first-degree prem editated attem pted m urder in the Feb. 2
shooting of Kenneth Clay. In a preliminary hearing, Clay testified that he
and Bridges (high on rock cocaine) argued on the day o f the shooting and had
alm ost com e to blows, when Bridges left, only to return five minutes later
and shoot him eight times. Bridges, who appeared to be almost despondent,
has reportedly attem pted suicide twice since his incarceration and was said
to have been placed in a padded cell.
New V isions F or R ay C h arles: New Visions Pictures has announced the
developm ent o f a m ajor motion picture to center on the life story o f Ray
Charles. The film is slated to be co-produced by Ray Charles, Jr.-so n of the
R&B legend. M eanw hile, the famed pianist recently helped underwrite a
laboratory to develop electronic implants for the deaf. Charles became
interested in the deaf a few years back when he developed some minor
hearing problems that have since improved.
No T im e F o r Love: Eyes raised when gorgeous, 25 year-old singer Paula
Abdul showed up at a recent awards ceremony unescorted. W ord in a
colum n had it that Abdul (once rom antically linked with Arsenio Hall) was
asking friends to set her up, how ever the former choreographer for the
“ L a k e rG irls” says she just hasn’t had time. T he smashing success of her
debut single “ Straight U p ’ ’ caught her offguard. “ I hoped for it, but I didn’t
expect it this soon” . Abdul who broke into the industry with her choreography
of Janet Jackson’s music videos, feels fortunate to have grown behind the
scenes. Said Abdul: “ I ’ve learned while w atching other artists. Now that
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it’s my turn, it’s a lot o f fun.”
S h o rt T akes: Former “ G ood T im es” actor John Amos is winding down
work on a prison adventure movie with Sylvester Stallone. Filming for the
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By Garland Lee Thompson
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L O FT E N M IT C H E L L :
P L A Y W R IG H T & B LA C K
T H E A T R E P IO N E E R T O PSU
Some happy spring news from the Black
Studies Departm ent of Portland State
University; Loftcn Mitchell, playwright,
historian and author o f the Broadway
musical hit, “ Bubblin’ Brown Sugar,”
just wrote to me jegarding our new 10
w eek course, “ A frican-A m erican
Playwrights, their Craft and legacy.
(Loften M itchell, Author of the book,
“ Black D ram a,” is a pioneer of the
original American Negro Theatre, the
Federal Theatre, author of the Broadway
plays, “ Land Beyond the R iver,”
“ B ubblin’ Brown Sugar,” etc., and a
retired professor from New York State
University at Bingington.)
March 22, 1989
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Dear Garland:
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Thank you very much for writing to
me. I am pleased with the work you arc
doing. Thank you very much for
considering me in your plans. I have no
problems with availability (to appear
and speak during the 10 week course,
scheduled to begin on W ednesday
evenings, March 29th, 1989,6:40PM to
9:20PM , Lincoln Hall, Rm #319). I
have an engagem ent on April 16, but
after that, my schedule is clear.
I am quite willing to appear there as
per your schedule and to follow your
program. I shall be willing to address a
large audience, workshop, class - and to
follow through on any plans you have
for me. So - please let me know.
M eantim e, I congratulate you on your
class, your proposal, etc. Il all looks
very exciting.
I was delighted to receive your column
for the Portland Observer. Beautiful
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ON THE MONEY
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E ric Jo h n so n M ak in g H eadw ay At Helm o f Jo h n so n P ro d u cts; Last
year m arked the changing o f the guard at Johnson Products, one of
A m erica’s oldest and largest black-owned firms, as 37 year old Eric Johnson
took over as chief operating officer at Johnson Products the m aker o f Ultra
Sheen and Classy Curls, and the company founded by his father, George
Jo h n so n -n o w 6 1 ,in 1954. A week before h e’d taken over, the company had
announced a third quarter loss of S3O8,OOO. Fact is, Johnson Products profits
had been sliding for some time. In 1984, the com pany posted sales of $41.5
million. In 1988, that figure was dow n to $33 m illion, and the com panythat
had long ranked among the nation’s top five black-ow ned com panies is
presendy ranked 19th. The younger Johnson has put his hopes into Celex,
a new line o f hair-care products, targeting a much broader consum er base
than ju st blacks. (N ext week, w e’ll have an update on how it’s doing).
Ja c k so n P u ts His M oney W h ere His Love Is: Form er baseball great
Reggie Jackson recently shelled out a cool $1 million for 30 rare automobiles,
to replace the 34 co llector’s cars he lost in a warehouse fire last year. The
transaction brings Jackson’s personal car collection to a total o f 150.
Jackson began collecting rare automobiles while playing for the New York
Yankees. Jackson’s love for cars also makes for good business, as he
operates four California car dealerships, all o f different m akes-nam ely
Chevrolet, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Ford-M ercury.
E m erg e T ak es H old O f New F in an cin g : A ccording to a recent report
published in the Wall Street Journal, Emerge founder W ilm er Ames is close
to getting the financing he needs to launch the upscale black monthly that
was scheduled to hit the stands last fall. Indeed, talks with District
Cablcvision (a W ashington D.C. cable operator) for additional financing,
have been confirm ed, but according to a com pany executive, the deal has
not yet closed. M eanwhile, Time Inc. is standing by its pledge to invest SI .5
m illion for 19% interest in the new publication. However, experts agree that
com petition will be stiff for the proposed m agazine. At present, there are
ju st four nationally distributed black m agazincs-E sscnce, Ebony, Jet, and
Black Enterprise.
Fact is. E bony, E ssence, & J e t, have the highest percentages o f black
re a d e rs in the m agazine industry, according to a recent marketing research
study. For the record, other general-interest m agazines attracting black
readers in significant numbers include G entlem en’s Q uarterly (where
blacks account for 2 5 .6A o f the m agazine’s readership), W ashington Post
Magazine (21.3% black), W orking M other (18.5% ), Esquire (18.2%) and
Soap O pera Digest (17.6% ).
W ell-deserved B reak M acD o n ald ’s C o rp . E xtended T o M inority
S u p p lie rs Pays Off: Just three years ago, Mac D onald’s was looking to
expand its minority supplier program. Executives approached two M iller
Brewing Co m anagers-G eorge Johnson, 41 and David Moore, 33 with a
plan to start a business milking croutons for the firm ’s new salad line. With
M acD onald’s backing, they secured a bank loan o f $ 1.6 million, and a lease
on an old pork-processing plant. Just seven months later, sales were
exceeding S3 million, and in 1988 the firm posted revenues o f over $4
ICIEIPCIOT
BROADWAY
BOUND REPORT:
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film, tentatively titled “ M averick, the E sc a p e ", has been on location at
Rahway Prison in New Jersey...W arner Bros is reportedly developing a
feature film version o f “ I Spy” , which will o f course star none other than
Bill Cosby...In the studio these days working on forthcoming L P’s are the
Force M D ’s, Mikki Howard, and Stacey Lattisaw. N ext week: the
c o n tro v ersy s u rro u n d in g Spike L ee’s latest film.
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work!
I am rushing this off to you. More
Later.
I hope you and your loved ones arc
well. Thanks again for writing to me
and for thinking of me.
Best as always,
Loften Mitchell
(The course will run through the spring
term at PSU. The exact date of Prof.
Loften M ichell’s appearance will be
announced or call for more information
and to enroll, 464-3472.)
N E W B LA C K W R IT E R S G U ILD
PLA N S F IR S T PU B L IC A T IO N
The newly formed African American
W riters Guild, under Useni Eugene
Perkins of the Portland Urban League,
is planning its first publication: “ O ur
Voices Are Beautiful: Anthology of
Writings,” by African American writers,
will represent the literacy works of
members of the Guild.
The anthology will be a diversified
collection that includes poetry, short
stories, essays, schools, churches,
community organizations and is open
to other cultural and literacy groups.
This type o f distribution will help to
introduce the African American Writers
Guild to the broad community and be
an incentive to inspire other writers of
African American descent. In addition,
a series of public readings will be
scheduled so the writers can discuss
their works.
The editor for the anthology will be
Useni Eugene Perkins, the group’s
convener and published author, poet
and playwright. Other prominent writers
of African American descent who will
be advisors o f this project, include
Garland Lee Thom pson, founder of the
nationally acclaim ed Frank Silvera
W riters’ W orkshop o f New York and
M ichael
G ric e , e d u c a to r
and
commissioner of the Oregon Arts
Commission.
The Urban League of Portland will
provide In-kind adm inistrative support
to ensure that the above is accomplished.
Also, it is anticipated that Useni Perkins
and Thompson will appear on various
TV talk shows to discuss the W riters’
forums and the new anthology. The
Guild meets bi-m onthly on Sundays, 3
-5 PM, 10N. Russell Street, 280-2600.
B L A C K A C T O R S STA R IN
PO R T L A N D C E N T E R S T A G E ’S
1ST SH A K E S P E A R E PLAY
The closing production of the Portland
Center Stage’s 1st season in the Portland
Performing Arts Center, “ Pericles Prince
of T yre,” by W illiam Shakespeare,
featured black actors, J.P. Phillips and
Derrick Lee W eeden (the young
‘ ‘Pericles’ ’). Phillips, who has children
and grandchildren here in Portland, is a
veteran actor and currendy, a m em ber
of the Ashland Oregon Shakespeare
Festival’s company. Playing what is
called, “ non-traditional casting” roles,
he appeared as the narrator, “ G ow er,”
“ Sim onides,” and “ Lysim achus.”
Slipping in and out of different characters,
such as the young ‘ ‘Pericles’s father-in-
law, a ship deckhand, and he winds up
the son-in-law o f old “ Pericles” and
his wife, “ T haisa” (played well by
Kathleen Turco-Lyon). This is the great
romance sea “ Soap-opera” o f the
Shakespeareanage theatre “ thatpeople
were fairly flocking to see in that day.
A rarely done work, “ Pericles,” an
epic sea “ O dyssey” o f on board
shipwrecks and disasters to child birth
at sea; was last done by Ashland 22
years ago. So I was definitely interested
to see it done well by this world-class
Shakespearean company, now fifty years
old and in town for the first time. The
costume design budget was $10,000
and the m oveable ship’s set with sail,
wheel, line-rigging against a great color­
changing eye (cyclorama), and splashing
seasounds, took me on “ this great long
sea voyage,” that is believed to be a
“ r e p o rte d ” S h a k e sp e a re an te x t,
reconstructed from memory by an actor
(or actors) who once played a role in it.
Who really wrote this “ crazy game of
whisper-down-the-line that resulted in
a text that is often unreliable - sometimes
downright chaotic - in its approximation
ofShakespearsc’soriginal?” W riteon,
to the real playwright.
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AUDITION NOTICE!!!
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PassinArt: A Theatre Company will
hold auditions for its summer production
“ Long Time Since Y esterday” by P.J.
Gibson, April 11 and April 12,1989 at
the Portland Com m unity College
Cascade Campus Auditorium between
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Six Black females
in their late twenties or thirties are needed,
and two Black females ages 11-12.
The play centers around the reunion
of former college m ates, now in their
thirties. These women are prosperous,
professional, middle-class Black women
who have gone through the turbulence
of the sixties and have come out on top
in the eighties.
C ontact PassinArt:
A Theatre
Company to schedule an audition time
at 284-4108 or Connie Carley at 282-
0003 (w).
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* * SEX AND BLACK
* * WOMEN: THE
TRUTH-
* * ESSENCE
* * DISPELS THE
* * MYTHS
BLACK
* * ABOUT
FEMALE
* * SEXUALITY
* * WITH REPORT
GROUND­
* * ON BREAKING
* * STUDY
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million. T oday, Johnson and Moore are looking to extend their clientele, but
while other custom ers presently include Pizza Hut, United A irlines, and
Kraft Foods, M cD onald’s still accounts for 90% of their sales. If you’re
interested in information cwta-iriac Donald’s minority supplier program,
contact David M cDuffie, c/o M cD onald’s Corporation, 1 McDonald Plaza,
II
MT. HOOD FESTIVAL OF
JAZZ FOUNDATION
PO BOX 696
GRESHAM, OREGON 97030
TELEPHONE (503) 666-3810
G RESH A M , Orc. - Veteran vocalist
Lou Rawls and contemporary Kevin
Eubanks have been booked to appear at
the 8th annual Mt. Hood Festival of
Jazz, bringing to six the number o f acts
signed for the 1989 event, according to
Paul Kreider, Festival of Jazz Foundation
President.
Already set to perform at the popular
Aug. 5-6 Festival are singer Diane
Schuur, the Count Basie Orchestra, the
Yellowjackets and saxophanist Branford
Marsalis. The Festival is held from
noon to 11 pm each day outdoors in the
Mt. Hood Community College stadium.
Rawls, whose recordings of “ Stormy
Monday” and “ Tobacco Road” brough
him fame years ago, is presently in a
revitalized career that has seen him
back singing jazz and blues after several
years in the pop field. H isd eb u tjazzL P
in the mid 60’s coupled Rawls with the
top-draw er Les McCann Trio, a
successful effort followed by R aw ls’
recording with the jazz big bands of
Benny Carter and Onzy Matthews.
He has had a half-dozen hit singles,
including “ Natural M an” and “ Y ou’ll
Never Find Another Love Like M ine.”
Eubanks brings to the Mt. Hood
Festival o f Jazz a striking and facile
guitar style first recorded in 1983’s
debut album. He is equally as capable
in fusion territory as mainstream jazz
and his choice o f recorded and concert
material is nearly as strong as his technical
proficiency.
A Rolling Stone Magazine jazz critic
said, “ Eubanks handles with equal
facility solo acoustic pieces, standards
and
fo o t-to -th e -flo o r
band
arrangem ents.”
The annual Festival, this year
occurring Saturday and Sunday, August
5 and 6 has for the past few years been
a com plete sell-out. The Festival also
stages the Friday Night Event, a separate
concert to be held Friday, A ugust 4.
New York, N.Y. - “ Black women
arc more sexually experienced and leant
about sex at a much earlier age than
other w om en.” This is just one of
many stereotypes dispelled in an Essence
report on a ground-breaking study on
the sexual socialization and experiences
of 248 women from Los Angeles County,
of which 126 were Black. “ Myths
About Black Female Sexuality” by Bcbc
Moore Cam pbell, a contributing editor
for Essence, the Black women’s lifestyle
m agazine, appears in the April issue.
R esearch for the study w as
spearheaded by Gail Elizabeth W yatt,
Ph.D., an associatcprofcssorof medical
psychology at the University of California
at Los Angeles. W yatt says that her
study presents a far more realistic portrait
of the sexuality of Black women than
did the seminal research by Alfred P.
Kinsey, Sc.D., which only included a
small sample o f Black women in its
report on the sexual experiences of
* American women. According to Wyatt,
* the Kinsey Report, published in 1958
* promoted some of the m isconceptions
about the sex lives of Black women that
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still abound today. “ The sexuality of
* Black women is different from that of
* white women, but there is something
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O akbrrok, IL 60 5 2 1 -(3 1 2 ) 575-7412.
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Next week: A look at the legacy left by Madame C.J. Walker America’s
first female, as well as black millio*' • Sre.
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BAN
APARTHEID!
Tickets to the 8th annual Mt. HootfJ
Festival o f Jazz go on sale in June.
Sponsors o f the Festival o f Jazz are
the G resham A rea C ham ber ol
Com m erce and Mt. Hood Community
College Foundation. Corporate sponsors
are Maletis Beverage/Seagrams Coolers,
Portland Bottling/7 Up, K IN K FM 102,
KGW -TV 8, G.I. Joe’s and Portland^
Area Volvo Dealers.
A dditional information may W
obtained from the Mt. Hood Festival o f
Jazz office by phoning 503-666-3810.1
FACTS
8TH
ANNUAL
MT.
W HAT
HOOD FESTIVAL O F 1
JAZZ
k
W HEN
SATURDAY-
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5-'
6
FRIDAY NIGHT
EVENT, FRIDAY,
AUGUST 4
W HERE
MT.HOOD
COM M UNITY
COLLEGE,
GRESHAM , ORE
W HO
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M AJOR JAZZ STARS?
New Bookings Are:
’
Lou Rawls, Singer
Kevin Eubanks, Guitarist’
Already Signed:
Diane Schuur, Singer
Count Basie Orchestra
)
Branford Marsalis,
Saxophone
Yellowjackets
M ORE TO COM E
TICKETS
ON SALE IN JUNE
INFORM ATION
I
Mt. Hood Festival
o f Jazz, 503-666-1
3810
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w rong w hen prom iscuous sexual
behavior is attributed only to Black*
w om en,” says the psychologist. B lack ’
and white respondents in W yatt’s study
overwhelmingly attributed the behavior'
to Black women. “ Today the m y th s ’
are shared by everyone, and both Blacks
and whites keep them alive,” s h e '
remarked.
The media m ust also take credit for
perpetuating stereotypes about B lack_
family sexuality. The hot and ready
“ sister” in a skintight dress is seen on
television every night and in the print
media as well. The December 1988
issue o f a national m en’s magazine
featured a photographic spread of women
wearing men’s shirts-rather, the models
w ere teasing the readers by clutching
shirts that m anaged to hide their breasts
and pubic areas. Three while models
m anaged to look like virgins and
striptease artists at the same time. The
lone Black model stood clutching a
dripping-w et dress shirt against her
soaked body, one wet breast fully
exposed, her eyes closed, lips pouting.
If the other models were teasing with
sex, she was selling it.
W yatt says that Black women need
to own their sexuality and define their
sexual image. “ W e do n ’t have to be
victims. We need to write in to magazines
that display us like pieces o f meal. We
shouldn’t watch television shows or
films that portray us as loose women.
We shouldn’t listen to music that gives
that message. W e need to send letters
to all these places, voicing our
concern...W e can becom e agents of
change.”
FULL HOUSE AT THE
BOTTOM LINE
Cheryl “ Pepsii” Riley’s recent show
at N .Y .’s Bottom Line brought out a
full house of adm irers, including the
m em bers of Full Force, who wrote and
produced her Colum bia Records Me
M y se lfa n d l album. Shown here in the
stylish backstage area are (from left):
Mark Fried o f BMI (the performing
rights organization); Full Forces’ Shy-
Shy, Bowlcgged Lou, B-Fine (top),
Cheryl “ Pepsii” Riley, C urt-t-t and
Paul Anthony o f Full Force, and BM I’s
Rick Sanjck.
MM