Page 5 Portland Observer JUNE 29,1989
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ENTERTAINMENT
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***** ★
I '- ' • *
- 4 ••
V rV » i
Lisa Collins
BEHIND THE
SCENES
H o lly w o o d Goes G o th a m : I t was q u ite an active w eek w ith the star-
studded openings o f both “ G hostbusters 11” and “ B a tm a n ’ ’ W arner B ros
w e n t a ll o u t fo r the prem iere o f B atm an, eve th o u g h t it shelled its plans to
turn the prem iere site in to a lo o k a lik e o f G otham C ity . S till fo r those w h o
w ere able to attend the g litz y prem iere and a fte r-p a rty , it proved to be quite
a good tim e. A m o n g those jo in in g film stars M ic h a e l K eaton and Jack
N ich o lso n were Q u in cy Jones, R o b e rt T ow nsend, E ddie M u rp h y (w hose en­
tourage in clu d e d Jasmine G u y ) and P rince... Just a fe w days p rio r to the
event, C o lu m b ia transform ed the lo b b y o f the H o lly w o o d P a lla d iu m to
resem ble D isn e yla n d ’ s H aunted M a n sio n R ide fo r the prem iere o f “ G host­
busters 11.” Those tu rn in g out fo r the fe s tiv itie s in clu d e d the en tire cast as
w e ll as Suzanne de Passe, M a g ic Johnson, Paula A b d u l, B obby B ro w n , and
a host o f stars...M eanw hile, across to w n , M a r la G ib b s tu rn e d 30? O r at
least th a t’ s how her b irth d a y bash was b ille d . A t any rate, she w ent a ll out
fo r the occasion w ith a la vish pa rty at the B e v e rly H ilto n H o te l. Those on
hand to w ish her a happy b irth d a y were o f course a ll her cast mem bers fro m
“ 2 2 7 ” w ith the noticeable exception o f Jackee. O th e r guests in clu d e d L o u
Gossett, R o x ie R oker, M a y o r T o m B ra d le y, A sse m b lyw o m a n M a xin e
W aters, L o u R aw ls, and N ancy W ils o n . C apping o f f the eve n ing was a
m usical num ber p e rfo rm e d e sp e cially fo r M a rla by L o u R aw ls and N ancy
W ilso n .
Actress B e ve rly T o d d Says Thanks: “ Lean O n M e ” co-star B e v e rly
T o d d extends her thanks to a ll the m any B ehind-The-S cenes readers w ho
sent th e ir condolences upon hearing about the recent death o f her teenaged
son, M a lik . T h e actress has been spending a great deal o f her tim e seeing
that ju s tic e is done in Salt L a ke C it y , w here the in c id e n t to o k place. T he tria l
has been postponed u n til O ctober2. In the m eantim e the K w anza F ounda­
tio n , a g ro u p o f b lack actresses, in c lu d in g M a rily n M cC o o , M a rla G ibbs,
S heryl Lee R alph, T h e lm a H o p k in s and Sheila F ra zie r, have im plem ented
a scholarship fu n d in the name o f T o d d ’ s son.
D ire c t a ll in q u irie s or
donations to the K w a n z a /M a lik S m ith S cholarship Fund, 256 S. Robertson
B o u le va rd , B e ve rly H ills , C A 90211.
N a ta lie C o le & D io n n e W a r w ic k - D y n a m ic D u o ! It was qu ite a show
that N a ta lie C o le and show b iz veteran D io n n e W a rw ic k p u t on last week at
Caesar’ s Palace in Las Vegas. B o th lo o ke d resplendent as they delig h te d
audiences w ith m edleys o f th e ir h its and rotated turns at center stage.
Perhaps m ost to uching is the segm ent fo cu sin g in on her D ad, com plete w ith
soundtrack and slide show . So to u ch in g was it that N a ta lie ’ s A u n t B ay (the
late N at C o le ’ s sister w h o was on hand) became teary-eyed. T h e ir managers
came up w ith the idea. A t firs t C o le th o u g h t it was k in d o f crazy. “ T h e re ’ s
a d iffe re n t k in d o f m usic happening and you have to re a lly be versatile to
lik e both o f us, so i f s am azing that this show re a lly w o rks. W e re a lly seem
to have the same sense o f m u sic, and i fe e l lik e she’ s been m aternal in m any
w ays w ith me. W hen we firs t started on this p ro je c t she said, the m usic
should be the star and not us and i lik e d that very m u ch , because i ’ m about
p ro m o tin g the m usic, n o t m e .’ ’ . . . I n o th e r m u s ic new s, in C in c in n a ti, p o lice
charged tw o rap g ro u p s - N W A (N ig g e rs W ith A ttitu d e ) and T o o -S h o rt-
w ith d iso rd e rly conduct a fte r a co n ce rt at R iv e rfro n t C o lise u m because o f
the content o f th e ir songs. The p e rfo rm e rs w ere fin e d $113.
S h o rt T a k e s : L o o k fo r R ain P ry o r, R ic h a rd ’ s daughter, ne xt fa ll on
A B C ’ s “ H ead O f The C lass.” R ain, is being touted as a shoe-in to replace
one o f three o rig in a l cast m em bers w h o seem to have o u tg ro w n th e ir roles
and w o n ’ t be re tu rn in g to class in the fa ll. (N o , R o b in G ive n s is not am ong
th e m )....M u h a m m a d A li has p a cte d w ith Lee C a p lin P roductions to do a
m o tio n p ic tu re based on his lif e ..... A lf r e W o o d a rd is o f f to Puerto R ic o to
begin shooting ‘ ‘ A show O f F o rc e ” w ith A m y Irv in g , E rik Estrads, and L o u
D ia m o n d P h illip s ...N e x t w e e k : I’ II have th a t s to ry I p ro m is e d on A tla n tic
S ta rr .
On The Money
G r iffe y In k s J o in t V e n tu re D e a l W ith E p ic : W hen the m erger o f S olar
R ecords and M o to w n fe ll through e a rlie r th is year, S olar c h ie f D ic k G riffe y
in itia te d ta lks w ith C BS Records. The talks seem to have paid o f f fo r G riffe y
w h o re ce n tly announced that his Sounds O f L o s A ngeles R ecords (S O L A R )
w ill indeed be d istrib u te d and m arketed by E pic Records, a d iv is io n o f C B S .
W ith the sale o f M o to w n to B oston V entures, G r if fe y ’ s 12-year o ld , L A -
based label, became the n a tio n ’ s biggest b la c k -o w n e d record com pany.
C BS R ecords president T o m m y M o tto la stated that w h ile C BS enjoyed an
e x c e lle n t share o f the b la ck m usic m a rke t last year, the S olar pact w ill put
the com pany “ in the fo re fro n t o f the m a rke tp la ce ” . S o la r’ s roster includes
the W hispers, M id n ig h t S tar and one o f the record in d u s try ’ s hottest
p ro d u cin g teams, - A n to n io “ L . A . ” R e id & K enny ‘ ‘ B aby face’ ’ Edm onds.
M e a n w h ile , G r iffe y ’ s business ties in A fric a have reaped b ig p ro fits as
witnessed by the appearance o f another o f his h o ld in g s in B la c k E n te rp rise ’ s
IB C U M D
IEIEIPOBT
b y G a r la n d Lee T h o m p s o n
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
LONG TIME
SINCE
YESTERDAY
OPENS AT IFCC
Its been a “ L o n g T im e S ince Y es­
te rd a y,” that I saw the o rig in a l p ro ­
d u c tio n at the N ew Federal Theatre
in N ew Y o rk (1985). W o o d ie K in g
Jr. produced and Bette H o w a rd d i­
rected it to w in a “ sack fu ll o f
A U D E L C O B la c k Theatre R e co g ni­
tio n A w ards. P.J. G ib so n , a B la c k
w om an p la y w rig h t, w o n Best D ra ­
m atic p la y. N ew Y o rk B la c k w om an
d ire c to r, Bette H o w a rd , w on Best
D ire c to r o f a dram a and there were
o ther A U D E L C O A w a rd s fo r o u r
“ Toussaint L ’ O verture” p roduction,
b u t it was “ L o n g T im e Since Y ester­
d a y ,” that held the s p o tlig h t w ith
M s. P.J. G ibson s m ilin g w ith her
“ d ip p le -s e lf.
T h e P a s s in A rt: A T heatre C o m ­
pany opened “ L o n g S ince Y ester­
d a y ,” J.P. G ib so n , F rid a y , June 23rd,
thru J u ly 16th, 1 9 8 9 ,8 :0 0 P M , at the
Interstate Firehouse C u ltu ra l Center.
Perform ances w ill p la y F rid a ys, Sat­
urdays at 8 :0 0 P M and 3 :0 0 P M on
Sundays. I t ’ s a w o m a n ’ s p lay about
a B la c k w om an, w h o had c o m m itte d
su icid e w h ile it appeared she and
some o f her o ld c o lle g e g irls had
“ made i t ” in life .
These are real “ B UPPIES” (Black
upw ard m o b ile person), w h o have
com e together in a re u n io n , at the
w ake fo r “ Janeen (p la ye d by B e tty
Jean Gamer). T hings begin to “ pop”
when “ ju ic y ” things be g in to ju m p
o u t “ the c lo s e t!”
The e x c itin g new p la y was firs t
present b y W o o d ie K in g J r.’ s N e w
F ederal Theatre at the H e n ry Street
S ettlem ent P layhouse in O ctober,
E verbody in the g roup and the
audience w ants to kn o w w h y th e ir
o ld buddy, "janeen,” had k ille d her­
self. “ O ld w o u n ds,” o ld business
and some new “ do do in the gam e”
comes o u t when “ sparks f l y ” be­
tween “ Janeen’ s ” fo rm e r ch ild h o o d
“ p a rtn e r-in -crim e ,” “ L a ve e r” (play
by Brenda P h illip s ) and one o f
‘ ‘ Janeen’ s o ther g irl frie n d , ‘ ‘ Panzi ’ ’
The cast o f th is Passinart p ro d u c­
tio n consist o f some actors, w h o have
been e n jo y in g a fu ll season o f suc­
A c c o rd in g to the Associated Press, D ix o n obtained her interest in the venure
fo r under $15,000. R ecords show that in the a d d itio n to undisclosed
d ire c to r’ s fees, D ix o n has since received d ivid e n d s exceeding $150,000.
O p e ra tio n P U S H K ic k s O f f 18th A n n u a l C o n v e n tio n : A gospel e x ­
travaganza h e a d lin in g A retha F ra n k lin m arked the b e g inn in g o f the 18th
A n n u a l Push C o n ve ntio n in C h ica g o this past w eekend. The theme o f this
year’ s co n ve n tio n was “ the challenge to reinvest in A m e rica . N one other
than founder, Rev.Jesse Jackson served as c o n ve n tio n chairm an and o f
course, keynote speaker.
In S h o rt: A recent Supreme C o u rt decision held that w o rk e r w h o are
adversely affected by co u rt-approved a ffirm a tiv e a ction plans m ay file
law suits a lle g in g d is c rim in a tio n . M a n y believe th is a ctio n co u ld spark a
dram atic increase in the num ber o f la w su its file d by w h ite male w o r-ke rs
w h o had been forced to share h irin g o r p ro m o tio n o p p o rtu n itie s w ith wom en
o r m in o ritie s as a result o f a ffirm a tiv e actio n plans ...M o to w n P ro d u c tio n s
announced the a cq u isitio n o f sole rig h ts to the C arm en M ira n d a sto ry and
plans a B roadw ay m usical about the fla m b u o ya n t singer-actress, m ost
rem em bered fo r the large fr u itfille d hats she m odeled in lavish 1940s
m usical. A cco rd in g to president Suzanne dcPasse, th e ir p rim a ry goal is to
create a B ro a d w ay m usical that o ffe rs in s ig h t in to one o f the in d u s try ’ s m ost
legendary enter tainers. Even s till, M o to w n also ow ns m o tio n p ictu re and
T V rig h ts... N e x t w e e k: A lo o k a t N e w O rle a n s e n tre p re n e u r B a rb a ra
L a m o n t, w h o by a ll acco u n ts is the o n ly b la c k w o m a n in the U.S. to o w n
a n d o p e ra te a TV s ta tio n .
ANOTHER TIME AND PLACE
M U 5 IC
M IL L E N N IU M
EAST P O R TLA N D
3 2 n d & E . B u rn s id e
MCUI0ES
THIS TIME I KNOW IT'S FOR REAL
I DON’T WANNA GET HURT
LOVE S ABOUT TO CHANGE MY HEART
NW PO R TLAN D
2 3 rd & N .W .
on to “ The C o lo re d M u se u m ” at
IF C C , and no w she opens in th is p ro ­
d u ctio n , directed by C o nnie C arley,
w ho saw both o f these other pro d u c­
tions. I t ’ s the th in g that good w o rk-
shop/actor d e ve lop m e n t is made o f,
in the tra in in g o f actors and p ro d u c­
tio n sta ff, such as W anda W alden,
designing the costum es fo r the show ,
w h o also d id a ll the o ther shows
( “ S im p ly H e a ve n ly” and “ The
C o lored M u se u m ” ). O thers in the
•.V z * í ;
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Album or Cassette
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Jo h n so n
248-0163
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Expires 6-28-89
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MRS C ’S WIGS
♦ r
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
HUNDREDS OF WIGS
w om an d o c to r” in the group. M s.
W illia m s opened the cu rre n t 1988-
89 season w ith “ S im p ly H e a ve nly, ’ ’
at PSU L a st su m m e r,’ 88. She w ent
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BRAIDING
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cast in clude Jeanette R ussell B ro w n
(she plays “ Babbs, the d rin k in g
problem ” ), w ho also played in “ S im ­
p ly H e a ve n ly,” C y n th ia A . P h illip s
Niecey’s Restaurant & Lounge
(plays “ A lisa,” Aisha Irving ( “ Young
5700 NE Union
L a ve e r S w an” ) and L e tta L e D u ff
lo o k great.
The p ro b le m that I have w ith the
production is uneven acting from new
1985, w here I fir s t saw i t w ith a
a ctin g cast m em bers, w h o are a b it
strong cast in N ew Y o rk C ity. “ Long
y o u n g -lo o kin g fo r th e ir parts, the
T im e S ince Y e ste rd a y,” is a p o w e r­
pacing o f scenes, the d ire c tin g (Is it
fu l drama set in suburban Ew ing Tow n­
her debut?), w hich is d iffic u lt enough
ship, N .J., at th is re u n io n o f fo rm e r
in the ‘ ‘ d re a m -like flash back scenes
c o lle g e mates, n o w in th e ir th irtie s ,
w ith the decreased w om an. T h is
a fte r the funeral. These w om en are
piece requires ve ry ca re fu l d ire c tio n
not poor, but prosperous, professional,
and pla n nin g to go fro m the past to
m iddle-class B U P P IE S , w h o have
the present and m ake the p la y co n ­
gone thro u g h the tu rb u le n ce o f the
tin u e “ to m ove fo rw a rd ’ ’ in c o n tin u ­
sixtie s and com e o u t on to p in the
ity . H o p e fu l, it w ill im p ro ve w ith the ,
e ighties. A t the w ake fo r th e ir de­
run, the d ire c to r’ s notes and c o n tin ­
ceased frie n d , the s u icid e w h ic h has
ued im p ro ve m e n t in the c u rre n t stag­
b ro u g h t them together again, we fin d
in g o f the O regon prem iere o f this
a lite ra te , hum orous, and sensitive
p la y w rig h t’ s w o rk . W rite on, Passi­
lo o k at the liv e s o f some d yn a m ic
n a rt
and co n te m p o ra ry B la c k w om en.
Miller Genuine Draft Rose City Blues
Festival Nearing Final Countdown
F ood B ank.
In support o f the B lu e F e stiva l, M a y o r J.E. Bud C la rk has pro cla im e d the
• .A t ‘-u
Now open Featuring Mr C’s Bar-B-Que
hours 6:00am-2:00am
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner By Marie
Wide Selection of Beverages in
our comfortable lounge
EBONY ROSE SKI CLUB
TENNIS CAMP AT IRVING PARK,
TUESDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
JUNE 20,21,27, 28
JULY 4, 5, 11, 12, 17, 18
TIME: 12:00 TO 3:00PM
AGES: 8-14 COST: NO CHARGE
SIGN-UP WITH P.E. TEACHER
OR MAIL YOUR
NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NO.
TO: ERSC, PO. BOX 6568
PORTLAND, OR 97228
INFORMATIONAL
PORTLAND
ADVERTISEMENT
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CALL FOR BIDS
Sealed bids w ill be received u n til 1:00 p.m. on the
dates in d ic a te d in the Purchasing Department,
Multnomah County School D is tric t #1J, 501 N. Dixon,
Portland, Oregon fo r the items lis te d herein:
o ffic ia lly p ro cla im e d .
A s p a rt o f an outreach p ro je ct to b rin g blues m usic closer to the
BID FILING
DATE
H o s p ita l, S h rin e r’ s H o sp ita l and the A Y H H ostel. The G a lle ria and the
s
S í? ,
BS
o ther m u sica l a c tiv itie s .
O n M o n d a y , June 26, at noon, fla tb e d vehicles and cars w ill ca rry
p e rfo rm in g blues bands and ce lebrities fro m in n e r SE P o rtland, across the
H a w th o rn e B rid g e to C ity H a ll, w here “ B lues M u sic W e e k ” w ill be
L lo y d C enter w ill host lu n c h -tim e blues perform ances as w e ll.
m
Come get acquainted and enjoy
w eek o f June 26 thro u g h J u ly 2 to be B lues M u sic W eek in Portland.
F e s tiv itie s planned fo r that w eek in clude a blues M u sic parade and several
c o m m u n ity d a ily m atinee perform ances by lo ca l blues artists such as Janice
S croggins, B o b Shoem aker, M ik e Propsom , and A1 C arson w ill take place
at P ie d m o nt Loaves and Fishes, the K in g C enter, Veterans A d m in is tra tio n
ft»'®*-*'
249-1893
( “ Y o u n g Janeen E a rl” )
The set and sound design is by
D oug Strong and G ig i M eeks d id the
m akeup/hair to make these ladies
10 p.m ., at T o m M c C a ll W a te rfro n t Park. The e ve n t continues Saturday,
J u ly 1, and Sunday, Ju ly 2, fro m 12 noon to 10 p.m . each day. B lues greats
James C o tto n and John M a y a ll headline th is event that benefits the O regon
fo r the a irp o rt’ s seven d u ty -fre e shops. W h ile no one in D ix o n ’ s Los
A ngeles o ffic e w o u ld com m ent on the m atter, D ix o n has before m aintained
that his w ife , an apt businessw om an, was q u a lifie d fo r the concession. (The
D ixo n s also ow n a W ashington s h o w - M u c h A d o A b o u t S o m e th in g ).
D O N N A SUMMER
cess, such as D enise W illia m s , w h o
p lays “ T h e lm a C a rlso n ,” the B la ck
posted ’ 88 revenues o f m ore than 12.5 m illio n .
M u c h A d o A b o u t N o th in g ? I t was three years ago that B e tty D ix o n ,
w ife o f Congressman Julian D ix o n (H o u se E th ic s C o m m itte e C h a ir) ,
enough to m ake it an issue. H o w e v e r, in a recent W a ll S treet Journal
in te rv ie w , Johnny C ochran said he had n o part in the selection o f the bid d er
> ' ’ •U.
w hom she had a sexual re la tio n sh ip
that ru in e d “ Janeen’ s m arriage.
T he co u n t is in ; fo rty -th re e blues bands fro m around the c o u n try and
th ro u g h o u t O regon have signed up to participate in the M ille r G enuine D ra ft
Rose C ity B lu e s F e stiva l. T he fe s tiv a l begins F rid a y, June 30 fro m 5p.m . to
w ife , the in ve stig a tio n in to House Speaker James W rig h t a ffa ir, has been
MUSIC MONTH
?..
(played by C arm en W arrens), w ith
m ost recent lis tin g o f the n a tio n ’ s largest b la ck businesses. In accordance
w ith the lis t, G r iffe y ’ s A fric a n D eve lo p m e n t P u b lic investm ent C orp,
obtained a lu cra tive stake in a p ro fita b le concession a t the L o s A ngeles
in te rn a tio n a l A irp o rt. T h is c o m in g ju s t fiv e m onths a fte r her hus-band’ s
panel h ire d Johnnie C ochran, a lo n g tim e frie n d , as co m m issio n chair.
W h ile no one has made any accusations o f v io la tio n against D ix o n o r his
JUNE
B
Bt
tr