Page 4 Portland Observer JULY 13,1989
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Lisa Collins
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BEHIND THE
SCENES
L.A . is s till jam m ing...It was the ultimate gcodbye party for outgoing
Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Between 2,000 - 2,400 guests jammed a
converted Los Angeles Sports Club facility for the star-studded festivities.
Among them were Natalie Cole and her fiance, producer Andre Fischer,
Joan Van Ark, Chevy Chase, and Bryon Allen...Later that weekend. Solar
records chief Dick G riffey helped to launch the “ F irst Annual CFA
Benefit: Todays’s C hild, T o m o rro w ’ s Hope,” on BET television to
benefit the children of Southern Africa. G iffey was joined by Louis Gossett,
Run DMC, Sinbad, Holly Robinson, Sheena Easton, Hal W illiam s, Janes
Ingram, Melba Moore, Shery, Lee Ralph, recording artists Tony, Toni,
Tony and host o f others...But the most star-studded event o f all was the
Los angeles premiere o f the new Spike Lee film , “ Do The Right Thing.’ ’
Lee, himself, was on hand to greet the packed audience o f industry people
and celebrities that included Eddie Murphy, golden G irls’ Bea Arthur,
Robert Guilliame, Lynn W hitfield, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Tim & Daphne
Reid, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Debbie Allen, M C A exec Sidney
Sheinberg, Blair Underwood, and Denzel Washington, who is all set to star
in Lee’s next film , “ Love Supreme.” Co-stars Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Paul
Benjamin, Danny Aiello, and leading lady Rosie Perez were also on hand for
the premiere that was received with mixed reaction from the crowd. Spike
Lee greeted the crowd and then directly addressing Eddie Murphy said,
“ Eddie I love you despite what people say in the papers, and I ’d like to see
you afterwards, i f it ’s all right with you.” The big pow-wow took place
during the reception that followed.
Do You Know This Group? “ The black audience mainly knows us by
our album covers, while the pop audience doesn’ t really know what we look
like.”
Today, that’ s part o f what Wayne Lewis says his group Atlantic Stan is
trying to change with the release o f their tenth LP, “ W e’re Moving Up,” a
new record label, and a more aggressive public relations approach. Warner
Brothers is betting that it won’t be that d iffic u lt for the group who is coming
o ff their biggest LP e ver- ’ ’ A ll in The Name O f Love. ’ ’ Newest member 21 -
year old Porscha Martin believes it is the music itself that w ill give them the
edge in forging a superstar image. ‘ ‘The biggest thing is that the music is not
trendy. I f s just good music. They write from the heart.” W ell, it ’ s those
heartfelt rhythms that the group, founded by the Lewis brothers-Wayne,
David and Jonathan (along with Joseph Phillips), are banking on, in the
hopes o f getting “ some recognition for the time and effort we put into the
music. We hope to be at the Grammy’ s next year accepting best album o f the
year award” ...Meanwhile, former Atlantic Starr lead, Sharon Bryant is
laying tracks for her solo debut on Wing Records...In other recording news,
CBS Records justshipped “ So Happy’ ’ -th e latest LP from Eddie M urphy.
The album m arks Eddie M u rp h y ’ s singing debut, and from what is being
said about the single “ Put Your Mouth On M e” - i t ’ s good...And top rap
group, Public Enemy has announced that they are tem porarily disband
ing. This move coming after the flak that came when a group member’s anti-
Semitic statements provoked charges o f racism. In taking the action, group
leader Chuck D. said that he felt the statements could reflect unfavorably on
the rest o f the group. Public Enemy’ s most recent album, ‘ ‘It Takes A Nation
o f M illions To Hold Us Back,” is now nearing one m illion in sales.
Ironically enough, their latest single “ Fight The Power” is showcased in
Spike Lee’s new movie, “ Do The Right Thing,” which focuses in on race
relations and bigotry. Next seek: Sinbad talks about his own, unique
brand o f comedy.
ON THE MONEY
BIEC a W W a ^
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SELECTION
JUDGE PANEL
IST FOR DRAMA
ENTRIES FOR
1989 OREGON
BOOK AWARDS
I recently received the follow ing
confirmation letter from the Oregon
Institute o f Literary Arts regarding
the 1989 Oregon Book Awards:
Oregon Institute
o f L ite ra ry A rts
June 26, 1989
Mr. Garland Lee Thompson
Arts and Entertainment columist
Portland Observer
525 N.E. Killingsworth St.
Portland, Oregon 97211
Dear Garland,
On behalf o f the Board o f Trus
tees o f Oregon Institute o f Literary
Arts, I would like to thank you for
agreeing to act as a judge o f the
Drama entries for the 1989 Oregon
Book Awards. Your fellow judges
w ill be Kathleen Worley o f the Reed
College Drama Dept., and Michael
Griggs from New Rose Theatre.
I am enclosing some general in
formation on the Institute as w ell as
a copy o f the application guidelines
and a complete list o f the entries.
Please double check the collection o f
manuscripts against the list, and let
me know if, by chance, any scripts
are missing.
As you know, you w ill be judging
work in only the Drama category o f
the Book Awards. The sole criteria
for selection, as stated in the guide
lines, is literary merit. As a panel, we
request that you make a determina
tion o f a ‘ ‘ short list’ ’ o f not less than
three or more than five finalists. From
this list o f finalists, one entry w ill be
determined by you as a winner. W in
ners w ill receive $1,000 and a silver
medallion which w ill be awarded at
an “ Academy Awards” style cere
mony to be held at the Berg Swan
Auditorium o f the Oregon A rt Insti
tute on October 3, 1989.
I well be in contact with you through
July and early August to check on
your progress in reading, and hope
that we can schedule a meeting to
draw conclusions regarding our f i
nalists and winners in the last half o f
August. In any event, the Institute
w ill need to announce finalists in all
categories, including drama, no later
than Septenber 5th. Should you have
any questions regarding the process
please feel to call me.
Once again, you have our heart
felt thanks for agreeing to work with
us on this project Your generosity
toward the literary community o f
Oregon is greatly appreciated. I look
forward to working with you on what
I ’ m sure w ill be the most successful
Oregon Book Award event to date.
She’s The B o s s -” 1 think that for anyone to be successful, it ’ s largely a
matter o f being smart and being at the right place at the right time with the
right idea” . For Barbara Lamont, the right time was 1989, the right place
was New Orleans, and the right idea was the ownership and operation o f a
commercial T V station. In fact, W CCL (Channel 49) signed on the air just
four months ago. But while Lamont is black, reported one local columnist,
few o f her competitors believe that W C C L’s bottom line ever w ill be,
However, just six weeks after her on-air debut, W CCL pulled a two piont
share in the market. W ith the other independents at 6 and 7, Lamont is
pleased with the showing. Fact is, at 52, Barbara Lamont is by all accounts
the only black woman to own and operate a television station in the United
States. “ Broadcasting has traditionally been a very discriminatory industry
and we’ ve had to build a generation o f people who were able to get the
training necessary. This is my 39th year o f broadcasting. I ’ve worked all
over the world. The job I had in Nigeria in 1982 running the network could
not have happened in this country due to race and sex discrimination.
Broadcasting is still 99.9 percent white male.” However, said Lamont, “ I
like where I am and what’s happened to me,” even though she admits it is
a tremendous responsibility. “ I t ’s just like fourteen babies at one time. I
wake up in the middle o f the night, and rush to the set to see i f we’re still on
the air.”
W in d fa ll fo r Black Entertainm ent Television: Bob Johnson has good
reason for smiling these days having just received a significant rare increase
from cable operators that w ill over the next five-six years should provide his
BET network with over $60 m illion. This development comes on the heels
o f the recent opening o f a new state-of-the-art facility in Washington D.C.,
and the announcement o f some big advertising pacts with sponsors like
Proctor & Gamble. Johnson sees all that’ s happening “ in recognition o f the
fact that BET is becoming the primary source o f entertainment for many
Sincerely,
black cable households throughout the country.” Said Johnson, “ we
currently serve over 23 m illion homes and within the next three years or so
Karen S. Reyes
we expect to be in excess o f 30 m illion households across the nation. Robert
Johnson, who started BET ten years ago with $500,000, says that today, his
Executive Director
network is conservatively worth in excess o f $100 m illion. Come Septem
ber, Johnson, says, viewers w ill see a vastly improved BET. ‘ ‘We had to get
(The Board o f Trustees o f Oregon
the revenue from the operators we felt we deserved. BET had been laboring
Institute o f Literary Arts is pleased to
announce that four Oregon Book
under a fee from the operators o f less than 2.5c,while other networks have
Awards w ill be awarded in 1989 for
been getting from 15-20c. So we had to program only what we could afford
works published or performed in the
to program. Now with this new rate increase you’re going to see a more
following fields:
heavily marketed BET, a better programmed BET, and I think a BET that’ s
going to have a bigger impact on the black consumer market.”
Black W oman Among “ Chosen Six” Women O f Enterprise: Avon
FICTION, including the novel,
novella, and collected
Products Inc and the Small Business Administration presented their annual
short stories.
Women O f Enterprise Awards recently in New York City to women who’ ve
C R EATIVE NONFICTION, in
overcome personal adversity to make a way for themselves in the business
cluding biography, history and natu
world. Among the chosen six, was a black woman, 39-yearold Juliet Welker
ral history, as well as collected es
o f Welker Real Estate in Philadelphia. Among herbiggestaccomplishments
says and criticism.
to date was becoming one o f the first black women to sell real estate in the
POET RY, including chapbooks of
c ity ’s ritzy A rt Museum area. Said Welker, “ it ’ s important never to hold a
over 20 pages in length.
negative thought. You just have to keep going in the direction you’ve
DRAM A, including one-act plays,
charted.”
radio and television plays and one-
In Short: An extensive report on the black consumer just released from
person productions.
an independent research firm reveals that blacks make up a large and loyal
AW ARD A M O U N T - Each o f the
market that could prove to be most profitable for companies that put forth
four
awards w ill be in the amount o f
the effort to tap the estimated $240 billion in yearly income received by
$1,000.
blacks...Next week: find out ju s t what it costs to m aintain a “ star”
E L IG IB IL IT Y - Works must be
image.
written by an author who is a resident
of Oregon.
Works to be considered must have
an original publication date between
A p ril 1, 1988, and March 31, 1989.
In the case o f playscripts, the script
must have had its first performance,
either in a fu ll production, staged
workshop or public reading, during
the same period.
Self-published works are eligible
providing they meet all other crite
ria. Anthologies and translations are
not eligible.
Single titles authored by more than
one individual arc acceptable. In the
event o f the selection o f a single title
authored by more than one person,
the award w ill be shared equally
among the authors.
T IM E LIN E - A ll entries must be
received by the Institute no later May
31,1989. Awards w ill be announced
at the Oregon Book Awards Cere
mony to be held in Portland in Octo
ber 1989.
SELECTION CRITERIA - The
sole criterion for selection w ill be
literary merit.
SELECTION PROCESS - Each
eligible work w ill be read by a panel
o f three jurors. Jurors w ill compile a
list o f up to five finalists in each
caterory from which one winner w ill
be chosen. Jurors have the option o f
not making an award in any category
where the submissions are judged in
adequate. In all cases, the decisions
o f the judges are final.
NOMINTIONS - Published work
in the areas o f Fiction, Creative Non
fiction, Poetry and Drama may be
nominated by the author, publisher
ora memberof the public. However,
each nomination must be accompa
nied by an Entry form and three
copies o f the work, in published form.
Copies submitted for consideration
are not returnable.
SPECIAL AWARDS - The Insti
tute also sponsors two special awards
to recognize significant contributions
to Oregon literature. The $1,000
awards are presented annually at the
Oregon Book Awards Ceremony.
Completed applications and in
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formation requiries should be mailed
to:
Oregon Institute O f Literary Arts,
Inc.
P.O. Box 10608, Portland, Oregon
97210
Phone: (503) 223-3604
N O BLA C K AND M IN O R IT IE S
W R ITER S H A V E APPLIED FOR
1989 OREGON BOOK AW ARDS
I am printing this complete appli
cation form for all o f you writers,
who have not heard o f this very
important award and cash prize that
is presented annually here in this
state to support the literary artists,
who reside in Oregon. I also wish to
note that no African American w rit
ers have applied for these award cate
gories.
We must change this during the
next fiscal year (1989-90) o f the
Oregon Institute O f Literary Arts.
We now have the formation o f the
African American Writers Workshop,
founded at the Portland Urban League
office, to assist our Black and m i
norities playwrights, novelists and
poets in their efforts to develop their
craft and publish.
We had to create a viable Black
and women writers’ development
program in New York City in the
early seventies that is now in its
sixteenth year. And as the founder of
the Frank Silvera W riters’ W ork
shop in Harlem, we just won the
1989 New York Village Voice News
paper’ s 34th Annual Obies Award
(and cash prize o f $500.00) for con
tribution to the development o f new
emerging playwrights. We can do
some o f the same here in this city and
state, also i f we continue to develop
the workshop process as we did in
New York. Write on!
COLUMBIA THEATER COM
PANY CALLS FOR ORIGINAL
SCRIPTS FOR 1990
The Columbia Theater Company
is seeking original scripts for its se
ries: “ Not for Tuesdays Only - A
Festival o f Original Plays, June 18 -
MT HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KING SWAP MEET
6728 N.E. Union
Portland, Oregon
97211
Telephone 288-0773
GRAND OPENING SALE
50% Cotton Shirts $3.99/3 for $11.00
100% Cotton Shirts $4.50/3 for $12.50
Sweat Suits and Jogging Suits
Caps Sun Glasses
Black Power Suits and Necklaces 14 K GOLD
We sell everything on discount for the Grand
Opening
Business Hours 10:30 am - 8:00 p.m.
Bring this coupon for
10% discount
Expires Aug 3rd
July 28,1990. The entry date is post
marked September 30, 1989. Send
your new scripts to Columbia Thea
ter Company, 2021 S.E. Hawthorne
Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97214, (503)
232-7005 weekdays. The guidelines
arc: send a self addressed/stamped
#10 envelop to Columbia Theater
Company for copy o f Festival guide
lines. Entrants must reside in Ore
gon or Clark County, Wa. Spon
sored in part by a grant from the Ore
gon Arts Commission.
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