P age B2 A ugust 30, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver ^Iorthxnb (Dhseruer ENTERTAINMENT M a rtin /ÒURPLAY (Saturdays 8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) Us ■■'S; '3L L Í —J Thocast of Martin is back for their third season premiere, on Thursday, Sept. 1 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on Fox. Pictured clockwise from top left: Carl Anthony Payne II as Cole, Tommy Mika! Ford as Tommy, Tisha Campbell as Gina, Martin Lawrence as Martin and Tichina Arnold as Pam. Martin, a relationship comedy starring multitalented comedian/ac- tor/director Martin Lawrence, returns for its fourth season when newly­ weds M artin (M artin Lawrence) and Gina (Tisha Campbell) embark on their new life together as husband and wife, yet fes much as they love p n fp th e r, each has a different per­ spective orrTfTe road that lies ahead. Martin isn’t about to let the institution o f marriage take away his individual­ ity or putacrim p in his lifestyle; Gina is perfectly content with settling down and moving into a new phase in her life. One thing is for certain -- Ozzie and Harriet they are not! Lawrence plays M artin Payne, a wuecracking, macho man whose bark is far worse than his bite. Though he doesn’t care to admit it, underneath his tough exterior is a sensitive guy who is all heart. M artin works for D etroit’s cable station 51 as host o f his own p o litic a lly incorrect talk show. “ Word on the Street.” As much as he loves serving up laughs and stirring up trouble, M artin ’s real pas­ sion is his beloved Gina, a marketing executive and career woman with a mind o f her own. As the only one who can keep martin in check, Gina is his perfect counterpart, providing the “ yin” to M artin's “ Yang.” Memories o f their single days w ill not be forgotten with their close pals never far behind: Pam (Tichina A rnold) is Gina’ s quick-tongued, sassy best friend, forever verbally dueling with Martin; Tommy (Tho­ mas M ikal Ford) and Cole (Carl Anthony Payne 11) are M artin ’sever- present buddies and comrades in the battle o f the sexes. Lawrence also plays a number o f other characters on the series in­ cluding Sheneneh, his feisty, know- it-all neighbor across the hall; '«'Jtis, and overweight, no-nonsense securi­ ty guard; Momma Payne, M artin’ s o ld -fa s h io n e d c o u n try m other; Roscoe, the young, bratty neighbor; and Jerome, a street-slick, neighbor­ hood friend forever stuck in the ‘ 70s. M artin has earned two NAACP Image Awards, fiaving been selected in 1993 as Best New Television Se­ ries and in 1994 for Outstanding Comedy Series. Lawrence was also chosen as the recipient o f the 1994 N A A C P Image Award for Outstand­ ing A ctor in a Comedy Series, the show has also garnered a People’s Choice Award for Best New Come­ dy Series. Samm-Art W illiam s and Martin Lawrence are the executive produc­ ers for HBO Independent Produc­ tions. Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East, and Harvey Fourplay serves up a rom anti­ cally intoxicating and soulfully sen­ sual mix on E lixir, their third release on Warner Bros Records. Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East and Harvey Mason take it to a new high, blending pop rock, jazz, funk, R &B and classical elements into a heady and magical p o tio n -w ith special guests Phil Collins, Patti Austin and Peabo Bryson Fourplay’ senduring and distinc­ tive alliance grows richer w ith each album and E lix ir adds one more chap­ ter to an already impressive list o f accomplishments. The first epony- were all about and what was possi-./ ble. W e’ re solid and surviving w ith y our own identity.” Ritenour adds, “ It’s impossible to not sound like Fourplay. We each have our own style, but when we come together as Fourplay whatever the song is, no matter who wrote it, there is a tangi- ' ble and unique direction.” James concludes, “ When we get together, there is something larger than the four o f us. Our styles merge in a way that we don’ t even need to talk about it.” He laughs and adds, “ Although ' we do talk...a lot!” And they have a lot to talk about..'. ; mous release spent an unprecedent­ ed 33 weeks at No. I on B illbo ard ’s Contemporary Jazz chart. Fourplay’s Grammy-nominated second album, Between The Sheets, also captured theNo. I spotontheB illboard,R & R , Gavin and M A C charts and followed the debut recording to gold certifica­ tion. Bob James asserts, “ I think we’ ve fin ally really settled into our style In the beginning, we were exploring and trying to find out i f we were a group. This third album is the first time we went in really knowing what we The Preston Episodes > Saturdays 8 :3 0 -9 :0 0 PM The Preston Episodes is a half- hour comedy about David Preston (David Alan Grier), a newly di vorced college professor who moves from his comfortable but predicable life in New Jersey to pursue his lifelong dream to become a w riter in New York City. A 37-year-old scholar and aca­ demic, Preston makes the drastic move to the big city and rents a tiny one-bedroom apartment that comes complete with a very eccentric, ne 'er- d o -w e ll neighbor named Derek (Tom m y H ikley), who is constantly on the lookout for schemes to raise rent money, usually getting David into trouble in the process. Landing a w riting jo b proves to be harder than anticipated, and Preston’ s overly optim istic vision o f making journalistic history and w in­ ning the Pulitzer Prize is soon deflat­ ed when the only jo b he can land is with a People-like, puff-piece maga­ zine called S tuff and only as an un­ derpaid photo caption writer. Determined to make his new jo b a stepping stone to greatness, Preston descends upon the magazine’s some­ what cynical staff with his impossi­ bly positive attitude. His editor, Larry D unhill (C live R evill), is a belliger­ ent lover o f printed nonsense who rebels against any attempt David makes to increase the integrity o f the publication. David discovers a con­ fidante, however hesitant, in K e lly Freeman (Judith Scott), a bumed- out, one-time award-winning w riter who left the world o f real news to escape ulcers and anxiety attacks. IÎ § S' 1 T5 iiiiiiiii;iiiBijniÄffii:i!tiiiiii«iinnnii!fe EAST PORTLAND 32N9^ S f\71| |C ^ir ~ NSIDE m il l e n n iu m NW PORTLAND 23RD & NW JOHNSON 248-0163 M Y BROTHERS BAR-B-Q S hare T he E xcitement ! SEPT. 13 THRU 17 PLUS 7 3 3 9 N. E. MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD. $ MEMORIAL COLISEUM PORTLAND, OREGON “TRY THE REST THEN COME HAVE THE BEST” CATERING SERVICE AVAILABLE DINE IN OR TAKE OUT PLACE ORDERS BY PHONE OR TAX (503) 283-0201 (503) 283-0203 FAX HOURS SUN - THURSDAY 1 0 :0 0 A.M. TO 9 :0 0 P.M. FRIDAY & SATURDAY 1 0 :0 0 A.M. TO 1 1 :0 0 P.M. FEATURING BAR-B-Q DINNER & CREOLE DISHES We2.50 service charge per order and check or money order payable to RINGLING BROS., Memorial Coliseum, Ringling Bros, and Barnum <5 Bailey, I’.O. Box I i IH, Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8 -1 (18 * * * * * * Y O IIH BEST* *** * * KPTV/IZZY’S MULTI SHOW SAVINGS SAVE $ 2 AIM II I S * K ins Iliut S L IT N 7 10PM Lri SILT 15 7 WPM \\'nh , iiu / hhii iiviiilublt' hi lu y \ Pizru Sal S1.IT 16 II 00AM K , ^ liiu n in l\ Information; (50.1) 235-8771 • Group Rales; (5 0 3 ) 79 7 -9 6 0 4 PROPRIETORS: EDDIE AND JOSIE RICHEY EN TER TA IN M EN T VALUE! ALL SEATS KKSIKVII) $ 9 5 0 - $ 1 1 . 5 0 - $ 1 3 .5 0 PRICK INCLUDES 7/U Special RINGSIDE SEATS Available Wherever lich en Are Sold C A L L N O W F O R T IC K E T S !