Page 5 Portland Observer AUGUST 3,1989
ENTERTAINMENT
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A****** E BITE
Lisa Collins
BEHIND THE
SCENES
A n ita B aker & N ancy W ilso n Tearn U p F o r T un e: When A nita Baker
heard her childhood ido l Nancy W ilson was preparing material fo r her
upcoming album., she penned an origin al tune and sent it to her. W ilson was
so impressed by the gesture and the song (entitled “ Fairytales” ), that she
insisted Baker record it w ith her. And so the tw o recently got together in a
New Y o rk recording studio. By all accounts the result o f their vocal
collaborations is awesome. The tune w ill be featured on W ilso n ’ s upcoming
album on CBS records (due out sometime this fall)... A fte r the session, Baker
headed back to D etroit where she was slated to record a duet w ith Howard
H e w itt A ll work aside, friends maintain that the firs t p rio rity fo r the super
songstress, who suffered a miscarriage earlier this year, is getting pregnant.
Disney Produces B la ck M u sica l F o r T V : Production is underway for
“ P o lly ” , a remake o f D isney’ s 1960 classic, “ PoUyanna” . Ten year old
Cosby star Keshia K n ig h t Pulliam w ill star in the film about a little g irl
whose love overcomes great odds to make a difference in a small, Alabama
town. The musical w hich is being directed by actress/choreographer Debbie,
w ill also star A lle n ’ s sister, P h yllicia Rashad, veteran actor Brock Peters,
and Gone W ith The W in d ’ s B utterfy McQueen, w ho is 86. The two-hour
m usical, which w ill include seven original numbers blending R & B w ith
gospel w ill most lik e ly air on N B C ’ s fa ll lineup.
Smokey Robinson M akes A c tin g D ebut: A ll-tim e R & B m elody man.
Smokey Robinson is a ll set fo r his dramatic acting debut on N B C ’ s new
daytime serial, “ Generations” . Robinson w ill portray a Chicago commodities
trader who w hile sharing a ja il cell w ith framed Generation’ s co-star,
K ris to ff St. John (w ho plays Adam), tells how cocaine ruined his life.
Robinson is featured in tw o episodes o f the show set to air August 7-8.
According to the show’ s producer, Sally Sussman, there could be future
appearances fo r the M otow n singing star.
O n The H om e F ro n t: Members o f New Edition and Guy w ill have plenty
o f time to think about the actions that led to their being kicked o ff the
Superfest tour, and le ft one man dead. Both groups were sent home for the
summer, as sources close to the groups say that they have been told to keep
a low profile...Actress Rae Dawn Chong (daughter o f comedian Tom m y
Chong) and actor C. Thomas H ow ell tied the knot. This coming on the heels
o f reports that Chong dumped star baseball pitcher Ron D arling in order to
reconcile w ith H ow ell.(her form er boyfriend).
O n T he T ow n...R obert Townsend, Shari Belafonte (w ith steady Sam
Behrens—form erly o f General Hospital fame), and O.J. Simpson joined
Bruce W illis and B illy Crystal and a host o f other celebrities fo r the gala
premiere o f “ When Harry M et S a lly” ... A nd Lou Gossett and his w ife
C yndi James Gossett were among those who recently turned up at a
reception fo r C alifornia congressman Ron Dellums. Others in attendance
were Beverly Todd, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Denise Nicolas.
S h o rt Takes: W ord has it that E ddie M u rp h y wiU reteam w ith N ic k
N olte fo r “ 48 H o u rs I I ” , w hich w ill begin production next January (1990)
in Las Vegas. M eanwhile, M urphy has wrapped production on his latest,
“ Harlem N igh ts” , w hich is due out sometime around Thanksgiving. Singer
Barry W hite is due out w ith a new album sometime next m onth...Actress
M a ry A lice w o n ’ t be re tu rn in g as dorm director at H illm an College this
fa ll on N B C ’s h it series, “ A D iffe re nt W o rld ” . Coach W alter Oakes
(Sinbad) w ill take over those duties as the dorm itory goes coed...Next week:
a behind-the-scenes look a t the m a kin g o f “ G host D ad” .
ON THE MONEY
B la ck In vestm e nt Bankers Forge New G ro u n d : “ They don’ t teach
this in school” , said 37-year old Napoleon Brandford III. “ It is the last
bastion o f w hite male supremacy. But it doesn’ t take a rocket scientist to be
an investment banker, i t ’ s ju st basic math. The key to being a successful is
hard w o rk .” I t is a premise that he and his tw o partners, C alvin Brigsby, 43,
and A rthur Pow ell, 44, have put into practice w ith the establishment o f
Grigsby Brandford Powell, In c .,- the U S A ’s largest black-owned investment
firm . In fact, the firm ranks No. 20 among US investment bankers and its fast
gaining a reputation fo r competing head on w ith W a ll Street. The firm was
founded by C alvin G rigsby, a securities law yer in 1979, w ith startup capital
o f $100,000. Today , the investment firm has a fu ll-tim e sta ff o f 28, 10
offices spread throughout the country and capital o f $5 m illio n dollars. But
Brandford is most proud o f the fact that the company is 100% black-owned,
w ith no outside investors, and no debt. According to Brandford, their secret
is hard w ork. “ W e may not be the smartest individuals, but we can outw ork
anybody by 25%. In so doing, we make ourselves indispensable to our
clients.” Some o f their m ajor projects have included the new United
Term inal at C hicago’ s O ’ Hare airport, a $100 m illio n financing fo r the city
o f Compton, and the refinancing o f a $133 m illio n bond offering used to
build a prison in Alameda County, just outside o f San Francisco. “ Our
goal” , said Brandford, “ is to be the firs t successful financial institution that
is global in scope. I t ’ s really sad to th ink that we, as a race o f black people,
do not have one successful black financial institution in the w orld. That’s
one o f the reasons why we have fallen behind other ethnic groups. Our goal
is to build an institution that w ill allow us to build economic development
in our own com m unity” .
New Plan T o Raise Funds F o r M in o rity -O w n e d Com panies: Sen.Dale
Bumpers o f Arkansas plans to introduce an amendment that w ill enable
M in o rity Small Business Investment Companies to raise $70 m illio n
annually. The funds would be provided through government-guaranteed
debt issues fo r deals invo lvin g m inority group members as owners. Under
the plan, companies could flo at debentures through W a ll Street, and the debt
w ould be backed by the Small Business Adm inistration.
A n d W h a t Does C rim e Pay? “ Dealing drugs is very profitable,” said
one L A P D narcotics detective. “ The reason that there are so many people
in it is that there is such a large p ro fit to be made. I f you stop to figure that
one gram sells fo r anywhere from $100-125, and there are 454 grams to a
pound, that’s $45,400 fo r a pound o f cocaine. M u ltip ly that figure by 2.2
w hich represents a k ilo , and you’re almost at $100,000. A k ilo on the street
can be purchased for about $9,000-11,000. T hat’s at 100% purity. So, these
gangbangers are m aking lots o f money. So much so that these kids have set
up a network, franchising basic areas in south-central Los Angeles as w ell
as al, over the country, and as one person gets ripped o ff, someone else is
there to take his place.” ...And i f the lifestyles o f these kids aren’ t flashy
enough, their funerals arc. A t a recent Crips funeral, the procession included
over tw o dozen w hite limousines, as w ell as a police escort o f a dozen or
more black-and-white as w ell as unmarked cars. The pallbearers donned
powder blue tuxedos and a stream o f elaborate blue wreaths covered the
powder blue casket. The deceased, however, had been gunned down in a
drive-by shooting, and perhaps that is real price o f crime. In S h ort: Reports
arc that superstar M ich a e l Jackson offered his sister LaT oya $12 m illio n
not to pub lish her book about what it was like growing up in the Jackson
household. When she rebuffed his offer, word has it he put in a bid o f $84
m illio n to buy the book;s publishing company outright...N ext week: a look
at the state o f A m e ric a ’s vanishing black doctors and the high cost o f
good health.
IBCUMD
ICIEIPCOT
by Garland Lee Thompson
K O IN -T V is proud to again spon­
sor T H E B IT E , A T A S T E OF PORT­
L A N D , when it returns to Tom McCall
W aterfront Park fo r the sixth year on
August 11th, 12th & 13th. The open-
air festival features samplings o f the
finest food, wine and music in the
N orthw est
business in the com m unity). We also
see a Korean couple operate a vege­
“ D O T H E R IG H T T H IN G ,”
table fru it stand, w hich is very true-
A N D SEE S P IK E L E E ’S H O T
to -life in New Y o rk today. It points
N E W F IL M !
out the economical slavery as a seri­
A lrig h t, movie fans, do yourself a ous problem in the A frican com m u­
favor, as actor, Ossie Davis (he plays nity. A Puerto Rican brother has a
“ de m ayor” in the film ), says, “ Do homemade mobile ices stand just like
The R ight T hing” and get o ff your it is throughout the city, but not a
‘ ‘ co uch -p otato -be hind -the -tim e s- single Black business is featured or
self,” and go see Spike Lee’s ‘cookin’ exists. Lee does not g lo rify the sick-
& w rite on,” new flic k , “ Do The the70’s. H ejust “ lays ito u t there fo r
R ight T hin g,” w hile i t ’ s s till in town!
us to observe.
It is currently playing in tw o Port­
The “ greek chores’ ’ (a group
land moviehouses (that’s got to be a o f actors commenting on the m ajor
firs t for a Black m ovie), the G u ild action) o f the movie, displays a line
and the 82nd Street Theatre (o f all o f “ brothers,” broken and d is illu ­
places)! I f you saw Spike Lee’ s tw o sioned, like I have seen fo r years in
other pow erful film s, “ She G ot To Harlem, B rooklyn and all over New
Have It,” and “ School Daze,” you York City. And he presents the young
can call yourself a “ together and brothers, directionless, in a typical
dead-on-it-type” moviegoer, film afi­ Black com m unity in B rooklyn, New
cionado, and w ill have something to York. The older brothers, such as
tell your grandkids about. “ Ya mon,” “ De M ayor,” played beautifully by
just how “ co ol” you were in the my dear friend, Ossie Davis, is a
“ ass-end” o f the eighties!
homeless old wino-head, but his is
IN O T H E R C IT IE S T H E A T R E ­ “ ric h ” in character, like “ the old
G O ER S D ID “ T H E R IG H T
Black man” in the famous film ,
T H IN G ”
“ Black Orpheus. Other older men,
In New York, the Black press who should represent wisdom and a
has been shouting about the fact that foundation fo r the com m unity, sit on
inspite o f paragraphs o f p rio r warn­ the comer, just as we have seen fo r
ings from some W hite m ovie critics, years, talking “ crap” and “ BS,”
Spike Lee’ s b rillia n t and thought about women and feeling-literally
provoking new film , “ Do The R ight their penises, the o nly part o f their
T h in g ,” did not inspire instant street manhood that has not been “ ripped
riots (some o f these s illy press people o ff!” H ollyw ood could have never
are so ‘ ‘ tire d ” and behind the times). made this film , so I know w hy “ the
The Universal Studio release, opened French cinema crow d” at the Can­
in New Y o rk and in other cities w ith - nes F ilm Festival had their minds
outan exchange o f any “ bad m outh” “ blown away” by this important
or d irty stares. In its in itia l three days Black film statement o f A frican
outing on 353 screens, its cash intake Am erican art, rhythm and form . L ike
reached $35 million. Universal Studio jazz, it is unique and indigeous in its
(and I know Ned Tannen from my total scope.
old H ollyw ood days, who is now
When a young Black brother called,
president o f the Studio, is very “ Buggin O ut,” (a fine young actor,
pleased), the company that put up the who has worked w ith Lee in ‘ ‘ School
$6 m illio n which insured the making Daze” and at the Negro Ensemble
o f this outrageously advanced B lack Company, Juancarlos and I can’t
film , announced that the fie ld reports remember the correct spelling o f his
are that the film was a strong magnet
■ in A frican Am erican, W hite and
racially m ixed neighborhoods (I
caught it at the 82nd Street Theatre,
because I needed to see the film at a
matinee, and that neighborhood is
not exactly what I would call “ ra­
c ia lly m ixed, but maybe it is).
In three days on some 49-screens
in “ the B ig A pple’ ’ territory, its cash
flo w averaged $13,714 per theatre
(now that’ s serious money fo ra Black
film o f this un-Hollywood-type). This
is m ind-blow ing music to Ned Tan­
nen and U niversal’ s financial ear (I
only wish a company from our com ­
m unity was doing it and counting the
money). It insures the landmark new
film and its hot young actor/director/
producer and his team o f young movie­
makers, big success in a “ cold­
blooded” American film industry and
distribution market. Howsomever,
people like New Y o rk colum nist, Joe
Klein’s “ write” hand really got caught
o u to n a b ia s lim b . He is quoted in his
column: “ The film is irresponsible
and could ignite violence and could
lead to (check this out) the defeat o f
New Y o rk mayoral candidate, the
current Black N Y borough president
o f Manhattan, m y old friend, D avid
D inkins. W e ll, eat ya heart out, Joe,
because it did n ’ t cause any rioting,
ju s t lines o f interested Black, H is­
panic, W hite, young and old m ovie­
goers!
In “ Do The R ight T hin g,” Spike
Lee clearly outlines a fa irly broad
panarama o f the pathology o f A fri-
can people and give our some insight
into the European (Italian-American)
psyhic, as it pertains to their w orking
among Blacks neighborhoods (Sal’ s
Famous Pizzeria is the most vibrant
V * • * X
O
-
AMERICAN
}z
Handicapped "workers
WILL HIRE YOU” !
seen when “ Sal, the W hite owner,
makes passes at “ M ookie’ s” sister,
which can be seen as a metaphor fo r
the famous ‘ ‘Tawana Brawley case”
(The young Black g irl, who accused
a group o f W hite men o f raping her in
upstate New Y ork) There are so many
other little sublies shading and ‘ ‘col-
ors” in this piece o f fresh new w ork
that I ju s t have say, “ Do The R ight
T hin g,” check in out! W rite on,
Spike Lee and company.
more to choose from than basic bur­
gers and paltry pizza. What keeps the
jazz fans happy when hunger pangs
strike is the variety the vendors offer.
And that goes for beverages as w ell
as food.
Oscar Mayer, sponsor o f this year’s
Jazz Workshop, brings the all-Am eri­
can hot do to the Festival site along
w ith Jello pudding and soft drinks.
The Food Faire also caters toother
tastes w ith both tap and bottled beer
and a fine selection o f wines, patrons
arc not allowed to bring alcoholic
beverages onto the site. Glass con­
tainers are also not permitted.
• r
A
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Ai/or Ç a a li: 2 3 5 -3 5 3 6 W
JAZZY FM S9-
last name) complains that “ Sal, the
Italian owner,” doesn’ t have any
pictures o f Africans heroes on his all-
Italian “ W a ll o f Fame,” “ Sal” tells
him to create his own store and put
up his own “ Wall o f Fame.” “ Buggin
O ut” “ freaks out,” and threatens to
lead a boycott against the place. He
becomes the m ilita n t in the movie.
He is the catalyst fo r the anger and
the need to self-actualization in the
frustation o f the Black com m unity,
but is not to be taken seriously be­
cause by his very name, he’ s a psy­
cho, someone to held up to ridicule,
until the fateful moment o f truth when
the “ real deal goes dow n” in the
clim ax o f the film . I ’ ll let you go see
it to dig this heavy piece o f business
on Spike’ s screen. W rite on.
In the absence o f strong role mod­
els, the young brother, like the char­
acter, “ Radio Raheem,” hides from
reality by blasting their “ ghetto
boxes,” as we have all seen and
heard in our Black communities from
one end o f this country to the other.
A m ajor point in the film is that the
film m aker plays a m ajor role,
“ M oo kie ,” thepizza deliveryman at
the pizza shop, and the pathology o f
the Black com m unity is thoroughly
Sixteen Vendors Will Offer Array of Food _
Jazz and food have had a positive
relationship for years at the M t. Hood
Festival o f Jazz and 1989 is not ex­
ception as 16 vendors this year offer
the best o f their restaurant menus at
the Food Faire.
Located at the opposite end o f the
M l Hood C om m unity college sta­
d iu m ’s main stage, the Food Faire
caters to the hungry and the thirsty
among the thousands o f jazz fans
w ho troop through the turnstiles. The
1989 festival is Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, August 4,5, and 6.
One thing's fo r sure at this annual
jazz event: The hungry have much
-
Festival-goers have chance to taste
a variety o f gourmet delicacies from
30 o f Portland ’ s most popular restau­
rants. A highlight o f T H E B IT E is
the Oregon Wine pavilion which offers
award-winning wines from 20 Ore­
gon wineries.
MT HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NIECEY’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Come to where
Good friends meet and converse
...
_
in our air condition lounge
in a cordial atmosphere
A family restaurant
Serves you from 6:00 am-2:30 am
Parking in rear
5700 NE Union
249-1893
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