Page 4 Portland Observer SEPTEMBER 21,1989
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Lisa Collins
BEHIND THE
SCENES
Did She O r D idn't She--LaToya Says She Didn’t: 33-year old Latoya
Jackson is denying reports that she married her 50-year old manager Jack
Gordon in Reno, Nevada recently. However, a Nevada state clerk has shown
a signed marriage license complete with bride and groom’s signature and
detailed family information. Jackson is saying someone forged her name.
S tar-S tudded Bash For Cole: Natalie Cole was radiant at aparty thrown
in her honor at the exclusive St. James Club topping off a performance at the
Roxy nightclub in Los Angeles. Among those on hand at the star-studded
gala were Robert Townsend, Connie Selleca, Leon, Body & Soul,actor, Def
Jeff, actors Georg Stanford Brown Michael Warren, David Hasselhoff.and
Chris Conrad (Robert’s son), “ Married With Children’s ” Katie Segal,
Kimberly Russell, and Stephanie Kramer of ‘ ‘ Hunter” . The party kicked off
a whirlwind week for Cole full of showers and last minute wedding
preparations. Natalie promises that it is going to be the wedding of the year.
B rew ster Place May Join ABC Lineup: Talks are still underway
between Oprah Winfrey and ABC in its consideration of ‘ ‘Brewster Place’ ’,
(which scored high marks in the ratings) as a possible mid-season replace
ment. ABC maintains that no decision has been reached, only that “ there
have been wide-ranging discussions with Oprah on a number of issues.
Paula Kelly, the only actress recognized for her work in the four- hour TV
special with an Emmy nomination, is happy about the possibility, even if she
is not sure that she would be part of it. “ I doubt if I would want to do that
character every week” , said Kelly. “ If she came back to visitor something,
I don’t know” . Kelly, who just wrapped production on a special for PBS
titled “ Zora” , is more excited about a proposed project for HBO based on
the life of Josephine Baker.
A S tar For M arvin Gaye: Another battle is underway to get a star for
Marvin Gaye on the Hollywood Walk O f Fame. Official word from the
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is that there is not enough support for a
star to be granted. If you’d like to lend your support, write the Committee
For A Star For Marvin Gaye, P.O.Box 431578, Los Angles, CA
90043...Meanwhile, actresses Beverly Todd and Sheila Frazier are chairing
a campaign for the development of a black entertainer walk of fame outside
a Los Angeles theater, which made history when it became the first black-
owned theater to run first-run movies.
A New Home For Stepahnie: Stephanie Mills is back on top again with
her new MCA LP, “ Home” . Stephanie who had on occasion said she never
wanted to sing the song again, (due to all those years she did it as the lead
actress in the hit Broadway musical “ The W iz” ), was moved to re-record
the tune with the tragic passings of “ W iz” producer Ken Harper and
songwriter Charlie Smalls. Mills said the song took on a new meaning even
though it was still very difficult to record, what with all the memories
flooding back. Another of the album’s singles, "Something In The Way
You Make Me Feel” , was penned as well as produced by Angela Winbush,
whose own second solo LP “ Real Thing” is due out October 17th.
S hort Takes: Filming on Spike Lee’s latest, “ A Love S uprem e” began
last week in New York. The film, based on the story of Lee’s jazz musician
father, stars Denzel Washington....The Congressional Black Caucus was
treated to a screening of the film, ‘ ‘A Dry White Summer” . The film, whose
storyline centers on the South African system of apartheid, is five years in
the making and the subject of mounting interest. I’’ll report on the black
woman who undertook the project next time.Next week: Natalie Cole gets
m arried.
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ON THE MONEY
F orm er Ex-Jocks Show G ridiron Savvy In Business W orld: The
stigma attached to the intellect of many professional football players,
(particularly black), has been less than appealing. However, the business
acumen o f those who have left the pro ranks and entered today’s business
world is beginning to change all that. Those like all-pro Willie Davis, who
parlayed his football fortune into millions. Davis, who has since acquired
and sold a beer distributorship, now owns a string of radio stations across the
country. Franco Harris has met with a great deal of success as distributor of
a number of natural food products, with Franco’s Au Naturel. Another ex
steeler, all pro-defensive end Dwight White last year became president and
chief executive officer of Daniels & Bell, Inc, the nation’s first black-owned
investment bank. White, in recalling an encounter with the firm ’s founder
Travis J. Bell Jr., said that Bell “ didn’t think I was smart enough to pass the
securities exam. Obviously, I proved him wrong” . Today, the 39-year old
CEO of the New York-based brokerage concern, is trying to build a steel
curtain offense in the world of investment banking...Meanwhile, former
teammate John Stallw orth who spent 14 years with the Steelers as a star
wide receiver, is scoring with an aero-space engineering firm . In fact,
Madison Research Corporation (a company he founded in 1986 while still
playing with the Steelers), furnishes engineering services mostly to govern
ment agencies like the Army and NASA. “ It wasn’t a big transition,” said
the 37-year old entrepreneur. ‘ ‘ I prepared myself from my fifth or sixth year
to get out of football.” Stallworth started a real estate development
company, before a survey of industry in the Huntsville,Alabama area
(where he resides) prompted a switch to engineering. Presently, he employs
16, and appears to be right on target with his goals. “ W e’re growing, “ said
Stallworth, “ Since the beginning of ’88 w e’ve probably done about 15-16
projects. This was our first million-plus year in sales and I predict that we
will do 2-3 dollars next year’ ’... Drew Pearson has perhaps made the best
use of the media with his company, Drew Pearson Enterprises,which holds
licenses with the National Football League, major league baseball, Walt
Disney and others for headwear. ‘ ‘We also do promotional headwear and T-
shirts for companies like Phillip Morris and Coca-Cola” , according to his
sister, Denise Pearson, who also serves as his assistant. At present, the
Dallas-based company, which was formed in 1985, has manufacturing
facilities and distributors in Kansas City with a cadre of sales representatives
throughout the country. The 38-year old former wide receiver for the Dallas
Cowboys, is also scoring touchdowns in sales with a tidy $5 million in sales
for 1988, and a fat projection of $8 million for 1989.
Emerge Comes Through: After getting off to a rather shaky beginning.
Emerge Magazine made its newsstand debut this week. The magazine
targeting 150,000 upwardly mobile black professionals had been slated to
premiere last September, but suspended publication in August when Time
Inc., pulled out of the deal pending the financing of additional investors. In
fact, Ames had been advised to file bankruptcy, as debts had soared to
$850,000. Instead, he looked for other investors. Among his more recent
investors is Black Entertainment Television, Today, Ames says he has
enough money to bankroll five years of development. The new monthly is
priced at $1.95 per issue, with a one-year subscription set at $14.95. Next
week: Find out why you never sec reruns of the Flip Wilson Show as we look
at a man who took the business of his comedy real seriously.
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ENTERTAINMENT
_
★★★
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
BOUND
IIK T I
by Garland Lee Thompson
FROM COAST TO COAST
TH E 1989-1990 SEASON IS
ABOUT TO BEGIN
OFF again to “ the city of O z.”
“ It’s Autumn in New York,” as the
song goes. The leaves are turning
and the ferry to Five Island is ‘ ‘down
loading” to its fall schedule. “ Fall
back, and wait for the long” Spring
forward” to create another “ time
warp’ ’ of pre-summer happiness.
T H E SCENE O F TH E
SEVENTEENTH SEASON
Throughout the land, little and
even smaller theatre companies are
pushing “ the buttons” of high and
low finance to once again,” jump
start” their action “ to fire up” the
new season of 1989-1990. In Harlem
“ the heart and soul of beautiful
downtown black America,” the scene
that I and a packed group of African
American theatre artists, and their
“ downtown” friends did gather
together.(“ Where there are two or
three o f us gathered together, the
Lord is present’ ’). It was the scene of
the annual Open House of the seven
teenth season of the Frank Silvera
W'riters’ Workshop in the upstairs
loft theatre space (the same loft space
where Langston Hughes and Hilary
Philips opened their famous little
“ Suitcase Theatre," Robert Earl Jones,
the father of James Earl Jones, (the
more famous black actor of the two).
I hope people will say that about my
son. Garland Jr., someday.
As the saying goes, “ Everybody
was there.” Delle Chatman flew in
from Hollywood to join in the his
toric occasion, (she is the executive
story editor for Tim Reid’s new sit
com TV series, “ Snoops,” which
airs its first new segment on CBS-TV
(Friday, September 22,1989). Delle
Chatman, who is also a playwright
was hired after “ the success story”
of Tim Reid’s “ Frank’s Place” , that
had “ a nation of black folks” , angry
“ to beat the band” and “ the M an” ,
who canceled the great series. I’m
excited to be reading her new novel,
“ a black Sci-Fi” adventure thriller,
that she is “ shopping” to be pub
lished in New York (along with a
new play ‘ ‘Endings,’ ’ to be read and
critiqued at the Frank Silvera Writer’s
Workshop on West 125th Street and
St. Nicholas Avenue.) She’s beauti
ful, black and I’m proud she’s intel-
ligent and brilliant!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“ SPEAKING OF MS.
BLACK & BRILLIANT
Black actress, Phyllis Yvonne
Stickney (We saw her first in Oprah
Winfrey’s TV mini-series,’’Women
of Brewster Place” and on the Cosby
Show has formed a new production
company (New York based corpora
tion) to produce a new season of
plays in the City Center Theatre in
Los Angeles. I love the name of
Phyllis’ new company: “ Endangered
Species Productions,’’She has a new
"sit-com" series coming out also this
season entitled, “ New Attitude. Ms.
Phyllis(and she is “ a Miss Thing”
with talent coming out of all o f ‘ ‘her
moving parts.” Now this young
woman is smart, black and beautiful,
and is raising $800,000, to bank roll
her Endangered Species company.She
has joined forces with my old fiend
and black actor Maurice Carlton.(We
worked together in New York after I
founded the Frank Silvera W riter’s
Workshop). And they are discussing
with us, the plan to set up an affiliate
of the workshop new playwrights’
Reading/Critique in L/A. at their City
Center Theatre. Now that’s slick!
Write on, y ’all. Phyllis and I had “ a
ball ” hanging out together again ju st
recently, at the 1989 National Black
Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina (Aug 14-20).She blew
the thousands of good black-people
and theatre artists away, on Friday
night o f the festival, with her stand
up comedy (with no script^ll “ im
prov” ).
MEETING ONE’S MENTOR
AGAIN
Everyone had one; ‘ ‘a mentor’ ’ or
teacher who helped he or she to
develop their God-given talents. Well,
one of mine is theatre director and
producer, Hal DeWindt, who “ found”
me in ‘LA LA land (Los Angeles)
and hired me as his stage manager for
projects o f the National Endowment
for the Arts in 1967). I worked as a
stage manager there at Inner City
Cultural Center for eleven “ back-to-
back” productions until 1969-70. (a
record there for a stage manager and
production person at ICCC in LA
town). I met and worked with the late
great Adolph Caesar,(nominated for
an academy award for his perform
ance in the film “ A Soldier Story” )
his west coast production of Douglas
Turner W ard’s comedy plays, “ Day
of Absence” and “ Happy Ending”
(1966-67) at the Ebony Showcase
Theatre.
1 was a struggling actor, since de
buting (1958) in Langston Huges
musical “ Simply Heavenly” , in the
west coast production (as “ John
Jasper, the newsboy” ) and a small
“ native role” in the film, “ South
Pacific (1957) at Twentieth Century
Fox. Hal De Windt took me with him
to the Inner City Cultural Center
Theatre.(one of the first pilot theatre
through Hal De Windt.Also Paul Win
field, Isabelle Sanford (of Jefferson
TV series) D ’Urville Martin (the late
actor/director, who appeared in
“ Nigger Charlie” , and a host of other
films and plays), and many other
great black performing artists. Hal
De Windt (thank God) is back in
New York, as the new artistic direc
tor of the Davis Center Theatre at
City College of New York. His first
production is a new play entitled,
“ William Five,” written by Earnest
Fam, opening Friday, September
8,1989 at the Davis Hall main stage
theatre on City College’s campus.
Write on, Hal. We got together again
at the National Black Theatre Festi
val.
H E R E ’S ONE FOR YOU,
TH EA TR E FANS
Stay tuned for the latest on the
New Freedom Theatre of Philadel
phia and their production of the
Langston Hughes musical, “ Simply
Heavenly” that producers John Al
len and Robert Leslie, are planning
to move to the big Schbert Theatre in
center city Phillie town, starring Melba
Moore. Guess who brought the proj
ect to them and directed the biggest
that New Freedom Theatre has ever
had” That’s right, theatre fans, ME!
(1987) And now my attorney is get
ting into the picture because I only
learned about “ the super big” planned
move “ to the big times ’’.while I was
at, yes again, the National Black The
atre Festival. This is going to get
“ thick” , so stay tuned, theatre fans
while I “ fax” this “ hot story” , to
you via the good old Portland ob
server in “ P.O. Town” , and return
from “ the big apple’ ’, and the Apollo
Theatre area of Harlem, US of A.
Write on ,” cuzbig stu ff ’ is happen
ing in this new season of the nineties. A
new decade is upon us all, y ’all! Sup
port your local theatre companies.
W rite on.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Black Men Men Urged
to:
Learn About Prostate
Cancer
Prostate C ancer Awareness
W eek, the first national campaign to
combat the most common cancer in
men and a disease o f special concern
to black Americans,will kick off Sept
24,1989. The campaigns is supported
by the National Cancer Institute, the
National Cancer Care Foundation,
the Prostate Cancer Education Coun
cil, the National Association of Com
munity Health Centers, the Ameri
can Foundation for Urologic Dis
ease, and major medical centers across
the country that will offer free exams
during the week.
To encourage men to learn about
the disease, Rocky Bleier, Vietnam
veteran and former Pittsburgh Steeler,
is national spokesperson for the cause.
Rocky battled against Vietnam inju
ries and great odds to rejoin the Steeler
team that captured four Super Bowl
championships during the 1970s.
Black Men a t Special Risk
Prostate cancer strikes nearly
103,000 men and kills about 28,500
each year, making it the second-lead
ing cancer killer of American men.
One in 11 men will develop the dis
ease. For unknown reasons, black
Americans have the highest rate in
the world: one in nine.
“ Unfortunately, black males get
prostate cancer 60 percent more fre
quently and are twice as likely to die
from thedisease as non-blacks,” said
FranK E. Staggers, M.D., immediate
past president of the National Medi
cal Association. “ We must make
every effort to encourage black men
age 40 and over to get a simple test
that can lead to early detection and
effective treatment.”
Free Exams Nationwide
An important goal of Prosi
Cancer Awareness Week is to en
courage many men to get a free pros
tate exam as their first step toward
making the exam part of their regular
medical checkups. During the week,
more than 40 hospitals and medical
centers around the country will be
offering free exams. These include
member institutions of the Associa
tion of Community Cancer Centers
and the National Association of
Community Health Centers.
R egular Exam s Are Key
“ A rectal exam of the prostate
currently is the most accurate nd
cost-effective way to detect the d j ^ .
ease,” said E. David Crawford, m 1 ^
a member of the Prostate Cancer
Education Council (PCEC), the cam
paigns’s sponsor. "Men need to know
that prostate cancer often can be cured
through early diagnosis and treat
ment.
FRIENDS OF
LIBRARY BOOK
SALE
The ann ual book sale for the bene
fit of Friends of the Multnomah County
Library will be held on Saturday,
October7,from 10:00a.m. until4:30
p.m. and Sunday, October 8, from
noon until 4:00 p.m. The sale will be
held at the Library Service Building
at 216 NE Knott S t
A members only presale will be
held on the evening of Friday, Octo
ber 6, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Anyone
not now a member of Friends of the
Library who wishes to attend the
presale can purchase an individual
membership at the door for $15. Senior
and student memberships are avail
able for $5.
Over 800 cartons of books have
been readied for the sale with more
expected to be gathered before the
doors open. The highly popular sale
offers as opportunity for people to
secure quality used books and rec
ords ar bargain prices.
Proceeds o f the sale are used by
Friends of the Library to benefit the
Multnomah County Library.
ITie results of
professional
football
games are
used to
determine the
winners!
b
(lOTTBIY
OFFICIAL
PROGRAM
l» » M IA I FINIliRAM
ENTRY
FORM
i TICKET
ENTRY FORM
CD
Find it in your local
newspaper.
F ill out an
entry form.
Hold on lo your ticket
lo claim your prize.
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