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Page 5 Portland Observer AUGUST 10,1989
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ENTERTAINMENT
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BEHIND
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Lisa Collins
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SCENES
Spike Lee Denies Dogging A rsenio Hall O ut: Statements made by
Aresenio Hall (that talking behind his back could lead to a ghetto ass
whipping) on a recent edition of Lee Bailey’s nationally syndicated
“ RadioScope” , with regards to Spike L ee’s criticism of both Hall and
Eddie Murphy drew heated response from Lee. On a subsequent edition of
Radioscope, Lee denied ever going behind Arsenio’s back “ dogging him
out.’’ Said Lee, “ if anything, he tried to dog me out when I was a guest on
his show...I think it’s unfortunate for him to get out in the media and say he’s
going to kick my ass. 1 thought more of the brother than to say something like
that. Arsenio has my number and I know he has a phone, so if he thought that
way, he should have called. I mean, this is the same kind of stuff we
discussed when I was a guest on his show. If he heard I was saying stuff
behind his back, he should call me up, but he didn’t. He’s fallen prey to the
same kind of stuff he was chastising me for.”
Bobby Brown’s Cancellation Fallout: Bobby Brown’s recent cancellation
of the final 20 dates of his tour come amidst rumors that the MCA Records
superstar has been checked into drug rehab. But if you listen to those close
to Brown, there are least three reasons why you shouldn’t believe his rumor.
His attorney says the dates were canceled so that he can begin pre-
production on his next album (which is not slated for release before the end
of the year), particularly as he wants to do a great deal more of the writing.
Liz Heller, MCA’s vice president of artist development, implied” general
burnout” , in a recent LA Times article, while another MCA executive,
Louil Silas maintained that Brown doesn’t do drugs. Added Silas: “ at what
point in his career are these rumors going on virtually his entire career.”
Judge C oncurs W ith Reference To A ctor Phillip M icahel T hom as As
a “ M am a’s Boy” : Miami Vice’s Phillip Micahe, Thomas lost his $14
million appeal of a libel suit against the National Enquirer as a Federal Court
upheld the earlier dismissal of the suit filed by the actor, as well as his
mother and brother. Thomas filed in 1987 after the tabloid reported that
Thomas’ brother was serving a 27-year prison term for raping three
Sacramento women.A year earlier, the paper described Thomas, one of
eight children, as a “ momma’s boy” and the child of a “ welfare m other.”
In dismissing the suit, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled that the story
was substantially true.
It’s A W rap A t” G host D ad” : Production has just winded down on the
set of “ Ghost Dad” , which reteamed Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby for the
first time in over ten years (even though Poirier’s role in the film is behind-
the-scenes, as director). Denise Nicolas, who co-starred with the pair in
“ L et’s Do It Again” and “ A Piece Of The Action” , once again plays
Cosby’s love interest. Nicolas is happy about the chance to work with Bill
again. “ The best work I’ve ever done has been comedy, and working with
Bill is an opportunity to leam more about comedy and riming and precision.
Because he takes such wild trips and if you’re open and can go with him, it
works. It’s just a good chemistry.” The film also features “ Head Of The
C lass” co-star Kimberly Russell in her morion picture debut...Short Takes:
It appears that singer Jody W atley is a prim e contender for the role of
Catw om an in the “ Batman’ sequel...” A Different W orld” star Dawnn
Lewis is shuffling between recording studios in Chicago and Detroit putting
together a demo she hopes will attract the attention o f a major record
company, as she’s getting serious about launching a singing career...Next
week: Is actress Jonelle Allen em erging as the “ Erica K ane” of Black
A m erica with her new role on “ G enerations” ?
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by Garland Lee Thompson
“ SOUTHERN JU S T IC E ” OR
“ JU ST US”
The courtroom is a natural setting
for drama since the the concept of a
trial by a jury of one’s peers, became
a working reality. The scene of Dave
Kanner’s new play, which I consider
“ a works-in-progress,” Southern
Justice,” currently in its world pre­
miere presentation at the Columbia
Theatre Company, is just such a drama-
packed case, based on the 1977 murder
trial o f a black youth in Fayetteville,
N.C. A popular white student, cap­
tain of the football team and budding
“ superstar,” is killed in a knife fight
at the local high school, and a poor
black teenager is accused of the mur­
der. A politically ambitious black
district attorney (played by Melvyn
Thomas Huston) and a cynical white
reporter (played by William Burger)
and a crusading Black community
news activist (played by Paul Jones),
a tenacious white woman public
defender (played by Nancy Wilson)
are the featured characters in the new
two-act play.
due to the fact that he is no where to
be found, theatrically speaking. This
maybe the writer’s deliberate intend,
but does it work theatrically to en­
hance the drama? For my part, no, it
does not if the playwright wants us,
the audience truly fee, something for
the defendant.
Except for the reporter’s role, none
of the roles of the other characters
show any growth, development or
levels of dimension that are neces­
sary to create a fully-rounded theatre
piece. My question is: Was the piece
read, workshopped and developed
before the producer, the Columbia
Theatre Company and the director,
Gary O ’Brien, decided to stage and
mount it as a world premiere. 1 like
much of the direction choices that
were made, however, and the acting
for the most part,is on target by all of
the cast, even though I had a hard
rime believing the D.A. character
was an attorney. This is an actor’s
problem that shows up when actors
are lacking in Paining. Perhaps this
really is a film concept in the begin­
ning stages that the writer is not
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traumatized and brutalized women,
as its rank-and-file worker and
“ stars.” It reminded me of a film
that ran in New York, a few years
ago, entitled something like, “ Not A
Love Story.” It was also about strip­
pers, porno queens, husband /wife
teams and players, and why they did
what they did for a living. This
Caitin Manning film only deals with
the women and “ their scene” in the
sex industry business.
A WEDDING RING FOR
W HOM ?
“ St. Catherine’s Wedding Ring,”
directed by Debra Kahn and Dave
Edelson, includes, as the NW Film A
Video cen ter brochure
:hure indie
indicates,
"everything you wanted to know about
circumcision, but were afraid to ask.
This film is a very graphic, well-
made, painfully, thorough, look at
the rites and rituals surrounding this
common world-wide practice.
The one important thing that was
missing in this heavy little 23 minute
film, was the fateful practice of female
circumcision, as it is still been per­
formed in certain parts of Africa and
who knows where else in the world.
I guess the Western world is not
ready for this strangeness, in my
opinion, one of the most brutal of all
cultural and ancient ethnic rites of
horror. “ Rite on” and let’s hope that
it ends soon, because what some people
in this mad world, do to little boys is
one thing, but what they do, in the
name of culture and religion, to little
girls, is a hold other “ ball of hot
wax!” What do you think, film
fans?
jazzy
-A
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SOUTHERN
JUSTICE
A poor black teenager accused of
murdering a rich white classmate in a
small southern town. A politically
ambitious black district attorney and
a tenacious white public defender. A
cynical white reporter and a crusad­
ing black activist. Add them all to­
gether and you have SOUTHERN
JUSTICE, an intense and thought-
provoking drama that will have its
world premiere this summer at the
Columbia Theater Company.
Based on an actual case, SOUTH­
ERN JUSTICE explores the subtle
forms o f racism in our society, as
well as the personal motivations and
ultimate price of the choices that are
made in order to further careers and
assuage consciences. It’s a play that
practically leaps out of today’s head­
lines onto the stage.
Wntten Dy ro ru an a playwright
Dave Kanner and directed by Port­
land theater veteran Gary O ’Brien,
SOUTHERN JUSTICE features a cast
that includes William Burger, Paul
Jones,Melvyn Thomas Huston and
Nancy Wilson. For Kanner, this pro­
duction is the realization of a dream
he has relentlessly pursued for 12
years, ever since he covered the trial
of Terry McDonald while working as
a radio reporter in Fayetteville, NC.
in 1977. Now that dream will come
to pass.
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ON THE MONEY
B ertram Lee Calls O ff M & M Products Takeover A ttem pt: Negotia­
tions between M&M Products Company and Chicago businessman Bertram
Lee and his Boston-based investment firm, B.B.L. Associates, involving its
impending takeover of M&M,—a leading black hair care products manufac­
turer and distributor, have ceased. The move comes not more than two
weeks after Lee led a group of black investors in the $65 million purchase
of the Denver Nuggets (making it the first minority-owned major league
professional sports franchisee Industry sources believe that the move, is an
effort on the part of Lee to preserve capital, but according to a spokesman
there is no connection between the two business deals. Word of the much
talked about takeover leaked out in May, before the deal was done, that was
said to have displeased Lee, however there is as yet no official work on why
he pulled out. Executives at the somewhat troubled M&M Products Com­
pany weren’t talking cither. Sales have declined dramatically for the
Atlanta-based company, who last year ranked as the nation’s tenth-largest
black-owned firm, and reported sales of $47 million in 1987. ’88 sales were
listed at $20 m illion-less than half of the 1987 figure. M&M Products
Company, founded by Cornell McBride in 1973, is the maker of “ Stay Soft
Fro” .
Japanese C om pany Halts Production of so-called “ racist” doll:
Amidst charges of racism, a Japanese doll making firm has halted the
production and sales of a black inflatable doll, named “ Dakko-chan” . Still,
company officials denied that the move was made because critics had called
the doll “ racist” . A spokesman for Takara Company, said: It’s a not black.
It represents a Japanese child whose skin has darkened from being out in the
sun all summer long.”
Black W om an Named To Head Top Business G roup:LaV cm c Francis
Collins, 43, has been appointed to head the 120,000-strong Business and
Professional Women/USA. Collins, a former teen-age mother and wife, is
the first black to head the powerful group, whose mission is to improve the
status of working women. Collins, a human resource specialist with the
Federal Aviation Administration, will concentrate on drawing more m inori­
ties into the group as well as providing resources to women who want to go
into business for themselves.
How the high cost of good health is affecting his nation's black
doctors: “ No one should look as medicine as an area to go into to get rich
or make a lot of money ’ ’, said Dr.Carlos Sledge, a leading black cardiologist
who owns and operates the Lake Meritt Heart Care Clinic in Oakland,
California. “ You need only read the newspapers to see that health care costs
have continued to soar at 20% a year, which is 3-4 times the rate of inflation.
In order to decrease it, the government has decided to decrease their reim­
bursement for medical care. A recent survey from the department of Health,
Education & Welfare outlined a significant decrease in the financial
reimbursement to doctors. The finding of that study go into effect in 1991,
and we’ll see a reduction in physician salaries by anywhere from 30-40% ” .
Dr. Sledge, the first doctor in the Western United States to open a clinic
offering heart services outside the hospital environment, lectures and
publishes a quarterly newsletter (to over 10,000) advising of the risks of
heart disease, particularly to blacks. Said Sledge, “ clearly the money
reward brought out the best, so blacks arc going to lose a certain brain trust.
Also, it’s going to hurt us dramatically, because the black doctor really
has the black patient in mind. Many non-black physicians don’t have
anywhere near the interest. It may be a racist type comment, but it’s true” .
In Short: A recent study revealed that while the income of wives has
increased twice as fast as their husbands, men remain the breadwinner in
today's households. Still 5.3 million wives (18%) in two-income house­
holds, did cam more than their husbands...Next week: A look at the nightly
take of some top black entertainers.
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W
MT HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NIECEY’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
WAS IT RACISM AND A
R IG G ED TRIA L?
The original trial took place in
Fayetteville, N.C (1977), in which
the black high school boy, Terry
McDonald was convicted of murder­
ing a white schoolmate, a popular
athlete in this Southern town. Was it
racism and a rigged trial, even though
the D.A. in black? The local town
folks are screaming for blood, while
a lone white liberal voice, an ACLU
woman attorney fights the small town
system to save the accused from the
cries of vengeance.
AS A PLAY, DOES “ SOUTH­
ERN JU S T IC E ” W ORK?
The playwright is trying a couple
of theatrical devices in his new play,
“ Southern Justice.” One of them is
the character of the radio reporter,
who is really the playwright self,
who covered the original trial, and
his relationship w(th the black com­
munity news writer. The two of
them introduce, discuss, analyze and
fight over the case while it is in prog­
ress, stopping the action of the trial to
argue their separate points of passion
and emotions. The judge (who, by
the way is correct-looking in his role,
even though I am missing his name
from my notes) and the attorneys, all
freeze in place as the “ dynamic duo,"
verbally, “ fight it out,” regarding
the issues of the case. The other
device is the absence of the defen­
dant, young McDonald, who never
appears during the trial play. The
problem that I have here, is that I, as
the audience have a very difficult
time trying to relate to this character
or feel anything for him because he is
not there. We do not hear his side of
the story or get a clear sense of him or
who he is. I simply don’t really care
for him emotionally or the case, mainly
revealing. Everybody seems to be so
TV and film-orientated these days
Now you, the theatregoing audi­
ence have to decide for yourselves,
as it continues to run, thru August
26th, at the theatre, located at 2021
SE Hawthorne Blvd., in Portland.
NO RTH W EST FILM & VIDEO
CENTER “ STRIPPED BARE”
ST.CATHERINE’S WEDDING
RING
Speaking of films, At the North­
west Film & Video Center, I caught
the Thursday night, 7/27/89,7:30PM
packed-house, Portland premiere
screening of two unusual documen­
tary films of sex and society:
“ Stripped Bare (1989) and St. Cath­
erine’s Wedding Ring (1988).
The complex issues raised by the
American sex industry, among them
issues of exploitation, eroticism and
sexual power, arc given a very open-
minded interpretation in Caitin Man­
ning’s bold new documentary film,
“ Stripped Bare: A Look at Erotic
Dancers. The film takes us behind-
the-scenes at San Francisco’s erotic
clubs, where women share their own
insights on the pleasures and pitfalls
of their work.
Integrating footage of the dancers
on the job with candid interviews,
Manning conveys the multitude of
reasons women choose this line o f ^
work, challenging existing stereotypes
while adding another dimension to
current feminist theory (60 mins).
The first time I have ever seen women
running clubs and sex industry busi­
nesses with women, for women only.
Strangely enough, the film did not
deal with the male strippers and erotic
performers, but new ground was
presented to form the woman’s point
of view, however.
Wc sec both lesbian and straight.
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