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Page 12 Portland Observer May 11, I 9#9
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BEHIND TH E:
SCENES
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Pebbles To W ed: W ell, after all the rumors and innuendos about the
romance between M C A recording artist Pebbles and The Deele’s Antonio
“ L A ” Reid, also o f one o f the record industry's hottest producing teams,--
L A & Babyface, Reid was quoted in a Radiuscope exclusive as saying that
the couple w ill be wed. W hile no firm date was announced, Reid indicated
the nuptials could take place sometime in June. The couple expects their
first-bom sometime in November Reid is placing odds on a boy. Il w ill be
the second child for Pebbles, who is currently putting together material for
her next LP.
H appy B irth d a y , E lla: On hand for the tribute to 71 -year old jazz superstar
Ella Fitzgerald recently in Los Angeles were Quincy Jones, Barbara
Streisand, Dionne W arwick, the Manhattan Transfer, M arilyn McCoo,
Mayor Tom Bradley, and jazz great Joe W illiam s. B ill Cosby (who said she
was "responsible for more hits than the M afia), emceed the black tie affair,
while C lint Eastwood presented her with an award. Nervously, she ac
cepted, saying “ all o f you singers can understand how you can be nervous
at such an occasion.” As is her custom, Fitzgerald relumed the honor with
another, the privilege o f letting all hear her rendition o f “ Honeysuckle
Rose.”
I t ’ s Alw ays Been A D iffe re n t W o rld F or Cree Summers: She was raised
on an Indian reservation in Canada, has a 9-year old brother called
“ Rainbow Sun” , and attended school for the first time at 10, in braids, a
second-hand dress, and mocassins.” today at 19, Cree Summers is secure in
who she is, and finds most other kids her age to be “ far more curl-activator
than vocabulary.” But “ A D ifferent W o rld ’ s youngest cast member says
her first reality check after moving to Hollywood a little more than a year
ago, was “ to walk into a room stuffed fu ll o f little tragic mulattoes and
saying I ’ m just another one.” Brought on the show for the sole purpose o f
chasing Dcwayne Wayne, “ Freddie” has perhaps become the show’ s most
endearing character. However, Summers says she has little in common with
the character that is making a name for her. “ I ’ ve got alot more scratches.
I'm a lot more aware. She’ s a baby.” She paused. ‘ T w ill admit I can run o ff
at the mouth like “ Freddie.” In fact, she loves the drama. ‘ 1 m so dramatic,
i t ’ s gross. Acting is ju s ta way for me to get away with how I act anyway.”
Porscha M a rtin Debuts In A tla n tic S ta rr: Atlantic S u n 's newly released
LP, “ W e’ re M o vin ’ U p” marks the debut o f 23-year old Porscha Martin.
Martin replaces Barbara Weathers who left the group nearly two years ago.
She came out from A tla n u and someone heard that Atlantic Starr was
looking for a new vocalist, burst into their management offices, put her Upe
machine on and started singing, and got the gig. Meanwhile the Lewis
Brothcrsflhe force being Atlantic Starr) have thrown their hats into the
producing arena with tracks on upcoming LP ’ s for George Benson and The
Mac Band...In other recording news, Paula A b d u l is suffering w ith a
pinched nerve and is trying to get some minor surgery scheduled to relieve
the discomfort...Jody Watley is slated to begin a national tour next month.
Short Takes: Jasmine Guy has snagged a starring role in Eddie M urphy’ s
“ Harlem Nights . Bobby Brow n has a cameo in “ Ghostbusters I I ’ ’ due
out June 13...B ill Cosby was named to the T V H a ll O f Fame, formed by
T V Guide to honor broadcast and entertainment stars on the occasion o f the
50th anniversary o f television. Among those receiving honorable mentions
were Dr. Martin Luther King...Next week: Joyce “ Fenderella” Irb y ,
fo rm e r lead singer fo r K lym axx, now accepts th a t being voted out o f the
group could have been a blessing in disguise.
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ON THE MONEY
Emerge Sets New Launch Date: Emerge, the much-talked about
magazine targeting buppies, which was originally slated to debut last
September, has set September 18 as their new launch date. A lack o f
promised financing was the reason for the delay, but this time W ilm er Ames,
the man behind the magazine, says he has signed documents and th a t: the
money is in the bank.,: W hat’ s more, on top o f the original investors, Ames
inked a deal with D istrict Cablevision, Inc, (out o f Washington D.C.) for
additional financing. Meanwhile, advertisers have remained interested in
the magazine that w ill be published ten times a year, and w ill cost $1.95 per
newsstand copy (or $ 14.95 for a year’ s subscription). Fact is, Ames is so sure
o f his magazine that he is guaranteeing a circulation o f 150,000 to prospec
tive advertisers.
These Shoes W e re n 't Made F o r W a lk in g : Prince has joined Talking
Heads and Phil C ollins in putting his best shoe forward in an effort to raise
funds for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS research. More than 50 pairs ol
Reebok high tops, handpainted by those stars and other lops in music, w ill
make the rounds o f eight US Hard Rock Cafe’ s A t each stop, sneakers w ill
be auctioned o ff to the highest bidder. Transportation is being provided by
Brink;s, while Lloyd;s o f London has extended over S1 m illion in insurance
coverage.
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Reach O u t & * Touch Someone F o r F ree? A t least for one hour. It s all part
o f an attempt on the part o f M CI to expand its marketshare by offering one
hour o f free calling for new customers who sign up before June 30. W hat’ s
more,MCI has launched two new plans to attract callers. The first, M C I s
“ PrimeTime: plan, customers w ill pay as little as S8 a month for an hour ot
out-of-state calls anywhere in the US. Additional calls w ill be billed at $6.80
an hour. In M C I’ s second plan, customers may make an hour o f out-of-state
calls on Saturdays for $5 a month. M CI claims the services could save
callers 25% to 38%, compared w ith A T & T .
Executive T u rn ta b le : M alt W illiam s, the creator and former executive
producer o f “ Roseanne” , has signed an exclusive agreement w ith W alt
Disney Television, as well as theatrical film s for the studio. W illiam s left the
hit T V show in January in a creative r ift with the show’ s star.
In short: Superstar-recording artist Lionel Richie and his wife, Brenda have
pledged $500,000 to Tuskegee Institute to endow a chair in the school of
business. Both are graduates o f the university.
Surveying The N a tio n 's Top-R ated, Black-O w ned Restaurants: More
and more blacks are dishing up fine cuisine around the country from Oprah
W infrey’ s newly opened “ The Eccentric” in Chicago, to Joplin’ s in
Washington, D.C. to Chez Helene in New Orleans. (Chez Helene, inciden
tally, was the inspiration fo r “ :Franks’ s Place '). In New Y ork C ity, B.
Smith’ s and Jezebel’ s rate among the citys’ top-rated black-owned restau
rants Jezabel’ s was recently the scene for a colorful party in honor o f Alice
W alker’ s latest novel, ‘ ‘Temple O f M y Fam iliar” . And while, most o f these
top-rated black-owned restaurants are fo r the most part, undercapitalized.
That’s according to Adolph and Mary Dulan, a husband and w ife team who
own one o f L A ’ s top-rated, black-owned restaurant in L A ’ s prestigious
Marina area, which caters to upscale Buppies and whites. “ If you want to
compete in the mainstream, the rents are extremely high and so much money
has to go into it, before you start to get anything out o f it. Then too, you have
to have an extremely good marketing, advertising and PR program. The
food becomes secondary .” R & B vocalists Ashford & Simpson tried to cash
in on New Y o rk’ s restaurant scene, but chucked their efforts just last year.
According to industry experts, start-up costs for the average mainstream
restaurant can run anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000. Next week: M ore
on the state o f d in in g w ith A m e ric a ’ s black restauranteurs.
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"¿py? ■ ’
Bv Garland Lee Thompson
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California Cooler Introduces
Cranberry Mist To Portland
IBCUME)
IRIEIPCICT
A SPECIAL BROAD
WAY BOUND REPORT:
THE NEW WASHING
TON ELLIPSE IS A
GREAT PLACE TO
ROLLERSKATE
The Oregon Historical Society cele
brated its grand opening o f the new
George Washington Ellipse o f the Ore
gon Historical Center, Sunday, A p ril
30lh, 1 9 8 9 ,3:00PM at 1230 SW Park
Avenue, in downtown Portland. Tho
mas Vaughan, executive director o f the
Society, Oregon’ s recognized, first
o ffic ia l Historian Laureate, kicked o ff
the mementos, well attended occasion,
as the master o f ceremonies.
’ ‘The guns o f Oregon,’ ’ members o f
the First Oregon Volunteer Infantry Fife
& Drum Corps, dressed in their little
period uniform costumes, “ blew o ff
three loud rounds and sounded the drums.
Bells rang and a seven-trumpet fanfare
by the David Douglas Trumpeters, blew
the salute to announce the beginning o f
the dedication (by Vaughan & Donald
H. Mcgraw, pres, o f the Society). The
spectacular, Washington Ellipse, with
its imposing metal gates, encloses the
clean design o f a large red brick and
cement wheel (circle), with twelve parts,
focusing toward its center, that turns
out to be a great place to rollerskate! A
great wheel to “ wheel” around in!
“ Oh, I ’ ve got a brand-new pair o f
rollerskates,” so the song on the com
mercial goes, and I feel just like a kid
again! I only spilled once, Losing my
sense o f balance, while circling fairly
slo w ly, counter-clock-wise (I wonder i f
that has any mystical, arcade meaning
toward “ the times?” Washington was
a Freemason mystic. I ’ ve heard), while
I am getting “ my skating legs” back,
after a long winter and la y o ff from
skating, since Venice Beach, C a lifo r
nia, during the “ 84 L.A. Olympics period
( I ’ ll be ready after a few more workouts
and some good weather).
I recall that, a good friend o f mine,
M ic k i Grant and Director Vinnette
C arroll, once wrote a musical, several
years ago in New York, entitled, “ When
H ell Freezes over. I ’ ll Skate!”
W ell, long since that fateful time,
when George Washington first took the
oath o f office as President o f the United
States, 200 years ago on A p ril 30th,
1789, when at that point in the history
o f this new young country ot the Am eri- .
cas, there was just some 4 million people,
not counting the m illions o f Native
Americans (because who bother to, could
or cared), o f which 700,000 or more,
were slaves! It was truly a “ hell” that
was indeed a time o f “ frozen over as-
sets” fo r the new forced Black “ cm i- ★
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Xj
" -ft F
grants” form “ the darkest o f A frica ,”
whose “ skate,” and escape out o f that
silly, psychodelic, but painfully hor-
rific period, had not been invented yet! x.
It was too “ s c i-fi” for “ the New Y ork .
Times” affair, that was busy installing £
“ the king/prez-clect, George, the First,”
in his white w ig, stockings, wooden -ft
teeth and” d o !”
A C O S TU M E P A R T Y M A R K S T H E x-
W A S H IN G T O N L E G A C Y A N D £
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T R IB U T E
£
Therefore, in honor o f that series o f
facts, I showed up, this sunny, Sunday
afternoon, follow ing “ C.P. and Indian
lim e,” after all “ the gun play, smoke,
ru
urin hoopla
hnnnla and
and circumstance’
circumstance” was
pomp,
over, wearing leather chaps, Eagle Spirit
beaded necklace, red bandana, cowboy
hat, beaver-skin backpack and carrying
my newly overhauled rollerskates! “ Get
dow n!”
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Everybody was in somebody’ s ^
“ period costume,” period! (Whether £
it was eighteen, nineteen or twentieth ★
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in the arts circles in this region o f the
country.
A reward w ill been offered for its
return or information (call 288-0033)
o f it whereabouts that w ill lead to its re-
drive product sales growth.”
C alifornia Cooler w ill offer Cranberry M ist in 4-pack cartons o f 12-ouncc
bottles and 2-liter PET plastic bottles. C alifornia Cooler is also available in
five other premium fru it flavors: citrus, orange splash, tropical berries,
peach and w ild cherry splash. C urrently,CaliforniaC oolerranks as the third
largest-selling cooler in the country. It is distributed by the California
A FILM BY CLAIRE DENIS
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m ilk» Me RlnnV h 1 il H x
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there in the shiny new “ G. W. E llip s e ,^
until the building custodian started t o F
lock up the new gates to the space.
Yes, it is Portland’ s newest m ini-
outdoor, , open air rollerskate rink and x^
historical landmark, that I can tell my :
children and grandchildren that I was
the first person in history, of “ any color”
to ever skate a few turns there! Thanks,
George, and the O. H. C. W rite on,
roller and skateboard fans! Have a v
great, safe summer on the wheels! And
don’ t forget your crash helmet a n d ^
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kneepads, you hear!
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A1 Goldsby, Portland metal Sculp
tor; who has achieved national fame,
numerous commissions and recogni
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tion for his b rillia n t work in bronze,
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aluminum and brass, discovered M on
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day, May 1st, that a bronze turtle out
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doors piece o f his, is missing from the
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backyard o f his house in Northeast
Portland. A planned eight foot security
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fence had not been completed and in
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stalled at the artist, who plans to replace
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the missing art piece.
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The police have been called in to in
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vestigate the backyard theft, that re
vealed it had been ripped from its base
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and damaged. The artist stated that ‘ ‘ he
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was glad the burglars like the piece so
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much, but said that it would be very
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d iffic u lt to sell the works,’ ’ since it was
★ * damaged and his work is so well known ’
is less sweet than other popular cooler flavors.
“ Cranberry is an original for the cooler industry, and since it was
previously unavailable, we expect consumer curiosity w ill spark Cranberry
M ist sampling, “ said Brand Director Jovan Jovanovski. “ New television
ads and point-of-sale display items should peak consumer curiosity and
V
Metal Sculpture Artist Loses Piece
In Yard Burglary
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Cranberry Mist.
C alifornia Cooler is the first wine cooler available in refreshing, zesty
cranberry. The ‘ ‘adult’ ’ fru it drink carries a more sophisticated image and
CHOCOLAT
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A Special Broad- way Bound Report
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Portland, May 2 - A captivating new taste w ill emergeon the wine cooler
scene in Portland this month w ith the introduction o f California Cooler
Cooler Company.
century) “ Martha Washington” was
(played by Valerie Ball, thegreat-great-
great-grandniece o f Mary Ball Wash-
ington, George’ s mother) as was the x-
man in “ the role o f “ George him self,” r
Paul Bragdon, the former president o f
Reed College (why not), who is now the
assistant to the governor for education.
I G O T T H O S E B IC E N T E N N IA L V
B L U E S !”
“ Yes, 1 got those bicentennial blues!”
So, after a quick tour o f the new O. H.
C. wing (where I ran into a few old
friends, Tommy Unthank, the Black
Portland artist, Bema Plummer, Donna
M A ixey ..«/I
and Cora Smith, Ms. B la c k h ig h ^ ,
“
i
fashion), I went outside and rollerskated’
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covery, in the concern that the piece
may have been taken, unknowingly for
metal scrap.
In the Lloyd Shopping Center, one
o f the large sculptures o f this artist is in
the main M all, that he calls, “ Free
Form.”
This, a working water fountain, por
trays Oregon’ s beloved salmon clim b
ing the fish ladders o f the great Colum
bia River.
He has exhibited in several one-man
and group shows in galleries through
out the Northwest, and his work can be
seen in numerous private and corporate
collections. A cightecn-foot bronze
sculpture o f Goldsby, is scheduled to
highlight the new Central Oregon
Welcome Center in Bend, Oregon in
ihe summer o f 1989.
An exhibit o f the artist’ s work is on
currently on view, through May 24,
1989, at the Randall Associates, 7460
s.w. Hunziker Road, Suite H, (503)
620-2026, in Southwest Portland.
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“ In French slang, ’ chocolat’ means both to be dark-skinned and to ‘ get
caught.’ Director Clair Denis’ s subtle, shimmering movie about the waning
years o f French colonialism in A frica during the ’ 50s deals with both senses
o f the word. Everyone is caught - the blacks are trapped in a decayed
political system, the whites cling to the paternalism o f a ‘superior’ race. But
C H O C O LA T is not about the politics o f imperialism, it ’s about the texture
o f human lives under a system where injustice has become mere routine.”
Now playing at The M ovie House
(1220 SW T a ylo r
T hursday, M ay 11th
7:00 pm
KMHD's Annual Fundraiser
begins May 1, 1989 - 10 a.m.
A ll donations «ire tax-deductible
Listener supported non-cornm erclal public radio
H D
Full
Spectrum Jazz
O r e g o n 's O n ly A ll S te r e o J a z z
6 a .m . - 2 a .m .
Studio
(503) 661-8900
APARTHEID!
KMHD 0 9 .1 FM
26000 S.E. Stark
Gresham, OR 97030
Jazz Events
Line
667-7689
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FAX #
(503) 288-0015