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M a r c h 28, 1990
P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r
P ag e 7
m m m m oom m om m om m m o
ENTERTAINMENT
B ehind -
T he -S cenes
by Usa Collins
Don C ornelius Does It Again: It's
hard to believe that Don Cornelius could
have topped last year’s brilliant Soul Train
Awards, but leave it to Don. Fact is, aside
from a couple of hardly noticeable slips, the
show, hosted by Dionne Warwick, Patti
LaBelle and Luther Vandross went on with
out a flaw. And you would have thought the
halls had come screaming down around you
had you been on hand for the performance
put in by El DeBarge, A1 B. Sure, James
Ingraham and Barry White on “ Secret
Garden,” a cut from Quincy Jones’ "B ack
On The B lo ck '' LP.
Other highlights included Quincy Jones
acceptance o f the Heritage Award (even if
they pulled the plug on Jones’ somewhat
long-winded speech), and the presentation
of the Sammy Davis Jr. Award to Arsenio
Hall. Hall, who was visibly touched, said he
had “ a long way to go before he deserved
anything with Sammy’s name on it.” Hall
went on to say “ the things that frustrate me
are things that you never get to see. For
every trophy and award, there is also a lot of
pain in this business too. "H a ll also sees his
show as a vehicle for greater things. “ I look
into my audience and see kids of all colors
laughing and clapping and then we leave
and screw each other over the next 23
hours. I don’t understand it. I just hope that
at some point people can look around and
see w hat's going on in my little playpen as
an example o f what we can really do.”
However, Hall has got to be breathing a
sigh of relief now that a Los Angeles Supe
rior Court judge has dismissed one of two
$10 million defamation of character law
suits filed against him by Willis Edwards,
former president o f the Beverly Hills/Hol-
lywood chapter of th NAACP. Edwards
accused Hall of calling him an “ extortion
ist' as well as a “ tennis-show wearing
pim p”
Meanwhile, other Soul Train winners
are as follows: Janet Jackson--Best R&B
single, female (“ Miss You M uch” ), Best
R&B album, female (“ Rhythm N ation"),
and best music video; Soul II Soul- Best
R&B single as well as album, group (“ Keep
On Movin’” ), and Song of the y e a r-” Keep
On Movin’” ; Best R&B single, male--
Luther Vandross (“ Here & N ow ” ); Best
R&B album, male—Babyface ( “ Tender
Lover” ); Best rap album -H eavy D & the
Boyz (“ Big Tym e” ); Best jazz album—
Quincy Jones (“ Back On The Block” );
Best gospel album -B ebe & Cece Winans
( “ H eaven"); and best new artist-D avid
Peas ton.
Black E n tertain m en t C om m unity
Grieves: Members of the Black entertain
ment community are still in shock over the
passing of comedian Robin Harris. The 36-
year old entertainer was found dead in his
room after having performing at the Regal
Theater in Chicago. Results of an autopsy
to determine the cause of his death, were
not available at press time. However, all
indications are that Harris suffered a heart
attack while in his sleep. Harris looked
exuberant when I last saw him at the Los
Angeles premiere of “ House Party.” In
fact, “ House Party” was the latest in a
string of films Harris appeared in, begin
ning with his portrayal of “ Sweet Dick
W illie” in Spike Lee’s “ Do The Right
T hing." He is also featured in Lee’s up
coming film, " A Love Supreme,” which
stars Denzel Washington. Harris, who also
has a comedy album due for release, is
survived by his wife, Exctta (who is report
edly four months pregnant), and a son
Short Takes: Actress Debbie Morgan .
who recently left the cast of “ All My
Children” has now joined the cast of
"G enerations.“ Morgan recently moved
back to Los Angeles to be near her actor-
husband. Meanwhile, “ Generations,” TV 's
only soap opera featuring Blacks as key
players is celebrating its first year anniver
sary this week.
Next week: Find out just which mem
bers of the Jackson clan will appear in an
upcoming TV ministries tracing their rise
to fame.
Mr. M u sic : M a rlo n M c C la in
by Danny Bell
Marlon McClain a Portland native has
had a profound influence on the face of
urban contemporary music in the northwest
and consequently world wide both as a
musician and producer.
An original member of the ground
breaking Portland band Pleasure. Marlon
began playing guitar at 14. Evolving from
just jamming with neighborhood friends
Nate Phillips and Doug Lewis. These friends
later formed a group which eventually merged
with the soul masters to form Pleasure.
Marlon relates that his time spent with
Pleasure was a “ good experience” and led
to opportunities that enabled him to be
where he is today.
It was during his tenure with Pleasure
that he met Wayne Henderson who pro
duced several of the bands albums. Through
his interaction with Wayne his was exposed
to the craft o f record producing. When the
band decided to produce the Future Now
album he was one of the co-producers.
After leaving Pleasure in 1980 Marlon
went on to work with Jeff Lorbar and Kenny
G. as a writer, musician, and producer
Eventually a mutual friend Reggie
Andrews told him of opportunity to play
with the Dazz Band. After a teleconference
with the groups leader Bobby Harris he
became a member. He is still with the Dazz
B and and is the co-producer on their soon to
be released new album.
Marlon returned to live in Portland in
1987 and about that time met Mike Maro-
rolas. They discovered an mutual interest in
the m anagement phase o f the music indus-
A resource fair of services and
information for individuals with
developmental disabilities
and their families.
April 6, 1990
4 to 8 p.m.
Whitaker Middle School
5700 N.E. 39th
Call ARC-M, 223-7279.
c Kindness is a hard thing to give
away; it usually comes bac k.
It’s S p r ite N ig h t W ith A r s e n io H a ll
National Promotion for Sprite Features Sweepstakes to
See 'The Arsenio Hall Show' Live
Arsenio Hall
hosted by Mr Hall after the program. Coca-
Cola Bottlers around the country will give
away trips locally to the special night.
try, and from informal discussions decided
to create Dark Horse entertainment. To
gether with Dave Leiken they offer an array
of services to primarily local area artists.
Marlon says he believes that there is talent
in the Portland area deserving of wider
exposure, and that Dark Horse entertain
ment has been effective in promoting some
local groups that major labels at first re
sisted. Two success stories like this are U-
K n w and Shock. U-Kre w is presently tour
ing and doing well with the single “ If-U-
were-mine” on the national charts. Late
last year they singed a contract with Enigma
Records. Shock last year had a top ten
dance chart single “ Talk About Love.”
When ask for his insight into the music
industry, his comments reflect his com
mittment to his home town. He feels that
the Portland music environment fosters a
climate where when an individual achieves
some success they are prone to view their
success with jealousy and a mentality
possesiveness. This altitude often leads to a
breakdown of the creative unit. He further
feels on the other hand that talented artists
more often enhance and heighten one anoth
ers work. His personal experience has been
that stars like Stephanie Mills and Bobbie
Harris work as peers rather than competi
tors. Basically he believes that the sum is
greater than the individual parts.
To the end of creating a nuturing envi
ronment for local talent Dark Horse enter
tainment is hard at work, with Marlon
McClain the nucleus of a dynamic atom
that could easily cause a positive fusion on
the world of entertainment.
House Party:
EXCEPTIONAL
EXPO 90
F ro m S ta g e 2 9 a t P a r a m o u n t S tu d io s ,
A T LA N T A ,
G A -T h e
“ People’s Choice” Favorite Late-
night Talk Show Host, Arsenio
Hall, will add his own comic
twist to Sprite this spring.
Coca-Cola USA this month
launches a major national pro
motion exclusively for Sprite,
the nation's leading lemon-lime
soft drink, and diet Sprite, one of
the country’s fastest-growing diet
soft drinks.
The extensive spring empha
sis period for Sprite will com
bine the " I Like th Sprite in
You” campaign with a national
“ Sprite N ight” sweepstakes
centered around one of Amer
ica’s hottest entertainers. Mr. Hall
will be featured in television,
print and point-of-sale advertis
ing, and his alter-cgo/brother
rapper Chunky A will be fea
tured in radio spots.
On May 18, the studio audi
ence of ‘ ‘The Arsenio Hall Show
will be packed with more than
300 sweepstakes winners for an
exclusive “ Sprite Night” taping of the
highly rated talk show.
The “ Sprite Night” guests also will
be invited to a private backstage party
m m m m m w e m m m m m im
Many of the 201 * ‘Arsenio
Hall Show” affiliate stations
also will be participating with
local promotions and giveaways.
“ Sprite, with the unex
pected twist of Lymon, goes
with those lighter, funnier
moments in people’s lives,”
said Michael A. Beindorff, vice
president, Marketing Planning,
Coca-Cola USA. ‘ ‘And we think
the people who line up for tick
ets and watch Arsenio Hall on
TV are the kind of people who
drink Sprite.”
Ten national sweepstakes
winners and 300 local winners
will be selected for the four-
day, three night Hollywood trip.
Entry forms will be avail
able beginning March 26 through
Sprite displays at participating
stores. Forms also will appear
in advertising in Rolling Stones,
People, TV Guide and Jet maga
zines.
Cleared in 97 percent of
U.S. viewing households, “ The
Arsenio Hall Show” is produced by
Arsenio Hall Communications in asso
ciation with the Domestic Television
Division of Paramount Pictures, a Para
mount Communications company.
A Movie Review
by Danny B ell
The new released movie
‘House Party' is a African-
American cast film, in a word is
hilarious. Ihe movie is about a
teenage son, Kid (Christopher
Reid) going against his single
parent tather's (Robin Harris)
wishes to an unchaperoned house
party.
The comedy is a raucious
and non-stop. The substance of
the film deals with essentially
thoughtful issues confronting
youth, such as parental author
ity, sexual responsibility and
teenage drinking among them.
However, with its ‘R ‘ rating
parents should be advised that
profanity is liberally used in the
film.
Rap artists Kid ‘n Play are Sharane (A J . Johnson), Sidney (TLsha Campbell), Kid
the central character in this story. and play Show Off their finest moves. Photos by: Bill Nation
Budding superstar Anita Baker has been
signed to the 1990 Mt. Hood Festival of
Jazz Friday Night Event. Baker, a multiple
Grammy award winner, will perform at 8
p.m. Friday, Augjist 3, at Mt. Hood Com
munity College.
She is the first act named to the ninth
annual jazz event, according to Paul Krei-
der. Festival of Jazz Foundation President.
With only two albums to her credit for
Elektra Records, Baker has served notice
that she is a singer for the '90s. She has
achieved gold and platinum status for her
landmark LP “ Rapture,” and last year’s
“ Giving You the Best That I G ot,” hon
ored with a Grammy award for both al
bum».
B aker is equally at home singing R&B,
pop or jazz. Serving as executive producer
of both her albums, she had complete crea
tive control over the product and gathered
songwriters and musicians around her whose
credits have been derived from those areas
of popular music.
Her next album will be released in
June, according to Elektra Records.
B aker’s musical career began at age 12
when she started singing with her minister
grandfather as he travelled around Detroit.
Soon, she was listening to WJZZ in Detroit,
learning the secular side of music and join
ing with schoolmates and choir members in
various "basem ent bands.” That experi
ence included singing everything from jazz
to rock.
She spent two years after high school
with several bands before landing with one
of D etroit’s top club bands. Chapter 8, a
relationship she says taught her everything
she knew about music. She made her initial
recording with the band in 1980, am inor hit
called “ I Just Wanna Be Your G irl."
Baker’s first national success came
with a top 10 single on the Black charts,
“ A ngel," which served to introduce her
jazz-inflected R&B style.
Beneficiaries of the Mt. Hood Festival
of Jazz are the Gresham Area Chamber of
Commerce and Mt. Hood Community
College Foundation.
Additional information may be obtained
from the Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz office
by phoning (503) 666-3810.
3 1 N W F IR S T
2 2 3 -9 9 1 9
- MARCH -
Thursday, March 29th
Coco Montoya
Friday ■ Saturday
March 30th - 31st
Crazy 8’s
Sunday, April 1st
April Fool's
Funk Day
Stevie Mays
and Lectrodes
Jack Kroll. NEWSWEEK
“THUMBS UP!
Roger Ebert, SISKEL & EBERT
Still savoring the success of her gold debut album, her
happy marriage and growing young family, singer and former
Miss America Vanessa Williams proves that for her, ’ ‘Success
Is the Best Revenge,” reports the April EBONV .
Mrs. Williams, 27, who launched her entertainment career
two-and a-half years ago amidst pressure from many who
hoped that she would fail, has now found happiness and
contentment by artfully balancing music, marriage and mother
hood. “ Black women have been doing this [working and rearing
a family! forever,” Vanessa says. “ Being a Black woman, 1
think that is one of the roles, the strengths you just acquire. I
think we arc a strong people,” she adds.
Passing the lesson her parents taught her about believing in
herself on to her two young daughters by example, Mrs.
W illiam s' future clearly has no limitations, as she today antici
pates the release of a brand new single from her soon to be
completed second album, a summer concert tour and several TV
acting roles.
Copyright (c) ERONY 1990
NEW LINE CINEMA
Mt. Hood Festival o f Jazz Signs Grammy Winner
Anita Baker to 1990 Friday Night Event
“ A BREAKTHROUGH MOVIE!”
V a n e s s a W illia m s : Success Is The Best Revenge
They portray two teenage friends
from African -American middle
class families. In the the course
of th evening kid has various
encounters with some neighbor
hood hoodlums, the police, and
a romanuc encounter with Sydney
(Tisha Campbell of th TV series
Rags to Riches fame).
All this is set against the
backdrop of the hip hop rap
culture Those over 35 may have
difficult} translating the slang
used to their generation But young
people will thoroughly enjoy the
dancing, contedy, and fashions
reflecting their culture.
Monday, April 2nd
Heart of
Darkness
Tuesday, April 3rd
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CALL THEATRE TOR SHOW TIMES
Wednesday, April 4th
t K O IM CENTER CIHEfTinS
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