Page 4, The Portland Observer, May 9, 1990
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• Behind The Scenes I Behind The Scenes I Behind The Scenes I Behind The Scenes /*
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Behind The Scenes / Behind The Scenes
•
by L isa Collins
I t’s B ack to T h e H om e Base F or J a n e t
Ja ck so n : “ We got away from some
things but anything we might have done
was absolutely unintentional.” were
the words o f A&M Records president
Herb Albert, as he addressed members
of the black media at a recent luncheon.
The occasion was to reacquaint Jackson
with black media and to let them know
that she (and/or A&M) had not forgot
ten them or the black community. And
they did it with style at C hasen’s - o n e
o f Beverly H ill’s most elegant restau
rants. Among those on hand were pro
ducers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
W ord had it that while Janet’s cross
over success was phenomenal, she wasn’t
getting the same kind o f coverage in the
black market. On this day, however,
Albert spelled out Janet’s thrust. “ She
gives back to the com m unity,” he said.
"W h a t Rhythm Nation album was talk
ing about was a chill bump. S h e's ad
dressing what is happening in the world
today and I’ll tell you that takes a lot of
courage. She could have easily gone
back to the future with “ Control II” .
W ith that, a casually clad Jackson, who
had been escorted by steady, Rene
Elizondo, made her way around the
room, shaking hands, greeting and tak
ing pictures with all on hand.
Fam ily M atters: Is there no end to
what some people w on’t do to get a
story? Even I was shocked to hear that
a publication paid big dollars to Oprah
W infrey’s half-sister-presently being
treated for drug abuse, for revelations
that W infrey (alledgedly a wild teen
ager?) became pregnant at 14. (The
baby was bom prematurely and died
shortly after birth. C ’mon you guys!
E veryone’s entitled to some privacy.
M eanwhile, all personal matters aside,
it’s business that’s keeping W infrey
show the beginning o f the week and her
new ABC series, “ Brew ster’s Place” ,
the latter half o f the week. Later this
month, ABC executives will decide if
the show, which airs on W ednesday
nights, will make the fall lineup.
W h atev er happened to * ‘Flashdance”
star, Jennifer Beals? Aside from some
spectacular dance sequences, one star
and one star alone made “ Flashdance”
a box office smash. Her name was
Jennifer Beals, and she fascinated all
who watched. But ju st as suddenly as
she appeared, she disappeared, taking
time to concentrate on her schooling.
Now, Beals is back, having capped a
lead role in “ Blood and Concrete,” an
In o th e r casting new s, Eriq LaSalle,
who replaced Denzel W ashington as
Michelle Pfeiffer’s love interest in “ Love
Field” , has now too been replaced, by
Dennis Haysbert (who practiced voo
doo in * * Major League’ ’). W ashington
quit in a dispute over the developm ent
of the character. No word yet on why
LaSalle (who played Shari H eadley’s
stuck-up boyfriend in “ Com ing to
A m erica’ ’) was replaced . . .
S h o rt T akes: Milan W illiams, one of
the founding members o f the Com m o
dores, filed suit in Los Angeles against
three o f its current members. The law
suit seeking $150,000 in compensatory
damages and unspecified punitive
damages, alleges that the three con
spired to fire him and subsequently
deny him a share of profits he was due
. . . Family Matters co-star Telma Hopkins
shines opposite Joan Rivers in the up
coming movie-of-the-week, “ Bad Times
In Beverly Hills” , airing later this month
on CBS.
The TV show called Dancing With Doc, on FOX TV 49 since July 1989, is a
weekly project. Party will be the creation of a four-month series, the first taped
May 26,1990. The Portland Observer will have a drawing for the May 26 show.
If you are 17-25 years old, call Tony Washington at 288-0033.
hey
31 N W FIRST
are also available for groups o f 10 or
more: call 255-2783 for m ore informa
tion.
DOUBLE TEE
PRESENTS
D ra ft
40
2 2 3 -9 9 1 9
Krowd Kontrol
Theatre Review: A Couple White Chicks Sitting Around Talking
by D anny Bell
The play “ Couple of W hite Chicks
Sitting A round T alking” is about a
suburban yuppie housewife (Maude),
and her new neighbor (Hannah Mae). It
examines the relationship between these
two women and how it evolves from an
unwanted invasion o f privacy into a
genuine friendship.
Hannah Mae, played by Elaine G ar
ner, is a wacky, extroverted Texan who
forces her companionship upon Maude,
played by Sharon Knorr her aloof and
distant housewife neighbor.
Eventually the play moves full circle
with both women exhibiting growth
and maturity.
Both actresses have impressive cre
dentials with K noff having performed
in Los Angeles in a variety of venues
rangin form stage to film. G am er has
been nominated for the local W illie
award presented by the Willamette Week
for the theatre arts.
The level o f their perform ance was
indeed above the average community
theater performance which Portland
Danny Glover Hopes to Help Inner City Kids By Projecting A
Positive Black Image Through Both Black And “White” Roles
“ The only way to change poverty is
through education,” declared actor
Danny Glover, who believes that by
becoming a positive black role model
he can help inner city kids
In an interview to be published this
Sunday in Parade m agazine, Glover,
who has starred in such films as “ L e
thal W eapon” , “ The C olor Purple” ,
and “ Places in the H eart” , criticized
Eddie Murphy for the kinds o f black
images his films p ro je c t
Discussing “ Harlem Nights” , which
Murphy wrote, directed and starred in,
G lover said, “ Once again blacks are
portrayed as foul-mouthed, crap-shoot
ing gangsters having a good time in
Harlem. These are acceptable condi
tions to m ost audiences, since w e’ve
been seen often enough in these cir
cumstances. At least in this film, Murphy
allows the blacks to solve their own
problem s.”
A ’60s activist who still believes in
those ideals, Glover decided to use his
acting talents to pulverize such stere
otypes. “ I realized I could use art to
create change,” he explained. “ A rtis
confrontational in that it challenges some
one’s way o f thinking,” he added.
“ G ranted, it doesn’t create sweeping
Shhh!
It’s a Secret
changes immediately. I played M an
dela (in a 1987 HBO movie), and he
stayed in jail. I couldn’t change that,
but at least more people knew about
him .”
Glover, who plans to spend approxi
mately one m onth a year lecturing to
children and young adults about their
problems, said, “ I’ve always felt the
need to talk with kids, to talk about the
importance o f reading as the core of
education and about the deadliness of
drugs, or anything else they want to
discuss.”
A resident o f the same San Fran
cisco neighborhood in which he grew
up, G lover had never considered m ov
ing away. “ People ask me if l think its
okay for successful blacks to move to
the suburbs rather than remain in their
old neighborhoods. I don’t think that’s
the issue. The issue is maintaining a re
lationship with that community, no matter
where you live, and working and fight
ing to help kids change their lives. It’s
harder now than ever since kids have
made heroes of Mercedes-driving, gold-
chained drug dealers. It’s imperative to
tell them they have other choices, to
make college available for them .”
Discussing his first m ajor film role
T hurs . 10
B eauty S tab
F ri . 11
SPECIAL GVESTS TO BE ASNOVNCED
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G enuine O ra li
• : -
J T
Not Immigration, the
FBI, the IRS, the courts, the
military, welfare agencies—
not even the President of
the United States—can see
your census answers. It’s
against the law.
And all census workers
take an oath to keep your
answers confidential.
Answer the Census.
It Counts for More Than You Thlnkl
C E N S U S '9 0
in “ Places in the H eart,” which ma
have been considered stereotypical b
some, G lover said, “ Blacks and pick
ing cotton have a historical relation
ship, so I didn’t feel like I was feedin
into a stereotype. It w asn’t like
shuffled.”
Glover showed the film to his matei
nal grandparents, who are Georgia farm
ers and were always puzzled by hi
career choice. “ My grandfather watche
the film ,” he recalled, “ looked up s
the end and asked with a big smile
‘W here’d you learn to pick cotton lik
that?’ O f course, he knew the answei
He had taught m e.”
Glover, who had played several blacl
roles, said he is now being approachei
for roles that could also be played b;
whites. “ I ’m doing ‘Predator II’ in
stead of Schw arzenegger,” he ex
claimed. “ I hope that will continue t<
change some people’s perceptions o
blacks. It’s not a black or white part
it’s just a good role.
‘ ‘The other day, I shocked myself,
was thinking about taking on a role, ant
I found m yself questioning, ‘Is this t
part for a black man? Then I realizet
that’s crazy. This is a role for a humar
being. T hat’s w hat’s im portant.”
Brenda Phillips
And
Anthony P. Armstrong
O R E G O N
OFLO^
M ay
seems to be growing out of.
Once they had established the chai
acters of Maude and Hannah Mae th,
actresses create a serious-comic worli
which gives the audience an interestinj
look into modem suburban culture.
By combining elem ents o f aliens
tion, adultry, revelation, reconciliatioi
and redemption with a dose of vigoroui
physical action and a dash o f sight gags
“ A Couple W hite Chicks . . . " is a
times humorous and thought-provok
ing.
Actor Criticizes Eddie Murphy fo r Kinds o f Images He Promotes
"Pulse & Impulse":
An Exuberant Sampler of Modern Dance
show! There is a $2 discount for stu
dents, seniors. Dance Coalition and
PATA members. Substantial discounts
by Tony W ashington
Another home grown product
quickly em erging as stalwart in
music industry.
Krowd Kontrol, graduates o f Jeffer-
son High School (Class o f ’83) claim
not to be ju st entertainers but also I
to be role m odels for the community.
Krowd K ontrol’s producers are Marlon
McClain, Mike M averolos and Larry
Bell.
Eric Smith, spokesperson for the four
member group credits other local groups
such as the U-Krew, Biz Markey, Rob
Base for helping them to gain exposure.
Along with other members Solomon
David, Krisdryer, and Connell Ferral,
the group, according to Eric, “ Hope to
convince teens to avoid drugs and gangs
and to stay in school. The only way this
can happen is, kids m ust do the right
thing,” he adds. Krowd Kontrol re
cently appeared at the P.I.T. Club with
an outstanding performance.
erotic thriller in which she plays a singer
caught in a suing o f bad relationships
and hung up on an aphrodisiac . . .
H o u s e P a r t y '9 0
O n June 8-10, at the Interm ediate
Theatre o f the Portland Center for the
Performing Arts, Oregon Dance Con
sort presents the third annual festival of
modem dance choreography, Pulse &
Impulse. In two com pletely different
program s, ten o f Portland’s finest
choreeographers will offer an exciting
introduction to the thought-provoking
exuberance o f contem porary dance.
Showcasing the diversity o f Portland’s
multi-cultural professional dance com
munity, Pulse & Impulse is one o f the
prem iere events o f the contem porary
dance season. From the high-flying
whimsey o f Robin L ane’s Do Jump!
M ovem ent Theater to the dram atic in
tensity o f Sue Brantley, Pulse & Im
pulse is a sm orgasbord o f imagery guar
anteed to delight the senses.
Tickets for this not-to-be-missed event
may be purchased at the PCPA box
office and all Ticketm aster outlets. To
see a single program , it"s $ 14; to take in
all ten choreographers in Program s A &
B, its $21, or half-price for the second
Krowd K ont rol: Another Home Grown Product
May 12 - June 3
Call 690-7328
P O T E N T IA L B O Y C O T T
'
G uess Jeans...T heir advertisem ents may promote male supremacy. Media
W a tc h -a Santa Cruz, CA com pany that attempts to call attention to questionable
business practices-contends that Guess' ’’distorted concepts o f love, self-worth
popularity, and normalcy" contribute to the incidence o f rape.
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