AUG. 27, 1997
Page B3
(E lie } J n r t b i n ò ( 0 b s e m e r
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ENTERTAINMENT
Soul Food
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NEW UNE CINEMA HO TS CHRIS TUCKER CHARLIE SHEEN "MONEY TALKS" fOTiVf «
CHRIS TUCKER
PP00UŒ0 By WAITER COBLENZ TRACT K M writen n JOEL COHEN & ALEC SOKOLOW DKC1B P BRETT RATHER
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12 nd A viau i
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T iB T E » T m TÌTKTTL
205
O ak G row 8
Now Showing
w w w .m o n e y -ia iK s .c o m
Call 503-288-0033 to Advertise In
(¿lie ^.învtlanù (Obseru'er
(7 S h o p A r o u n d
7* G o in g To A G o -G o ff
7
Sunday, September 7
>
7:00 p.m.
on the Zoo concert lauin
Me
W h a t 's
So G o o d
About
G oodbye
O oo
Ticket!: $15 in advance From
Ticketmaiter, 2 2 4 -4 4 0 0 .'
$17 at the ?ate.
f!
*Subject to service charge.
Baby
T ra c k s
All concert proceeds will benefit endangered Asian elephants
through research programs conducted by the Smithsonian
Institution's Conservation and Research Center.
The
Party to Smokey’s classic hits and music from his latest
recordings.
7
The one and only
Smokey Robinson rocks
the Zoo to help Portland
celebrate the coming of our new
baby elephant! The young Asian elephant will be
donated by Enron Corp., one of the world’s leading energy
companies and also a new face in town.
Baby
Of
My
M E T R O W A S H IN G T O N PARK Z O O
ove
I Saw
In
You
Tea
Slam Jamz/Columbia singer,
com poser, producer, musician
Kyle Jason (street name "Ice” ) on
his self-produced and composed
EP, Generations, Kyle captures
the fla v o r - re d e m p tio n .
Seamlessly linking vivid urban
images, soulful tracks, powerful
vocals and searing between-song
narratives, the clearly conceptual
CD is a brilliant debut. A prime
example is the scintillating lead
single “butter Baby."
Written by Kyle, who co-pro
duced it with P-Funk legend
Bootsy Collins, “Butter Baby” is
about a gorgeous, seductive fe
male who comes into a hustler's
life as he’s rising to big time street
dealer prominence.
The G enerations EP begins
with the finessed funk of “Up
town,” a Marvin Gaye inspired
track explaining the hustler's rea
soning for going, “ ...uptown to
make my money.” That track sets
up the anthem, "The Life Ol A
Hustler,” self-explanatory in its
title, totally on target in its execu
tion. Then, making a smooth, 180
degree turn in tone and texture-
after the poignant “She’s Mine"
interlude and "Hush" (coproduced
w ith P-F unk legend B ootsy
Collins ), comes the lead single,
“ Butter Baby.”
“M atter of Tim e," the C D ’s
next narrative, makes it clear that
the days of all hustlers’ lives are
numbered. “ 16 Stories,” which has
Curtis Mayfield sound and a time
less R&B Bow, is the unequivocal
fate-sealing cut. After a snitch rats
him out, the hustler’s next stop is.
“D-Block,” the state penitentiary,
where the narrator reports, he
meets his father for the first time.
“Generations,” featuring a guest
rap by Chuck D. reveals the lather
and so n ’s cell-block dialogue.
“When We Come Around,” the
EP’s exit track, offers hope, re
newal and, yes, redemption.
Ooo baby, baby - It i Smokey Robimon!
On
Welcome to my world, one
not made o f blue skies and
green grass, but rain clouds
and miles o f broken glass.
For those o f you who walked
the walk I've walked, y'all
understand. For those who
haven't, to explain, I'll do the
best I can. ...Welcome to my
world...”
'A hustler's greeting' - Kyle
Jason
G o t A H o ld
I
ACT I II T M E A T R » 9 L
R e a ll y
T
I
a TAH L
G ramo P arkway I
Y o u 'v e
T
IH I » I N I S L
I Î Ï T T T i Y h I
He hai a trunkload of Grammyi.
Herdi of devoted faw .
And timeleii animal maynetiim...
I
S
I ACT III V H IA V H IL
E ilis ille P i i i w i t I
Himop 9
* M ita
7» T e a rs O f A C lo w n
l is Sunday evening, and the
The line producer is Llewellyn
loseph family has once again
W ells, and the co-producer is
gathered around the dinner table Michael McQuarn. Music is by
for the weekly feast of soul food.
Wendy Melvion and Lisa Coleman.
The tight-knit, but often em
The film editor is John Carter,
battled clan is presided over by
A.C.E.; the production designer is
'Mother Joe,” or "Big Mama, as
Maxine Shepard; and the director
she’s called by her young grand
of photography is Paul Elliott.
son, Ahmad. Dishing out generous
Kenneth “B abyface” Edm onds is
helpings of love and sage advice, as
the executive producer. The film
well as fired chicken and black-
is p ro d u c e d by T ra c e y E.
eyed peas. M other Joe is the
Edm onds and Robert T eitel, and
family’s anchor - its strength.
w ritten and directed by G eorge
Mother Joe certainly has her
T illm an, Jr.
hands full keeping this group to
oul Food originated with
w rite r /d ir e c to r G eorge
gether. Her three very different
daughters - Teri, a career-driven
Tillm an’s own experiences as a
lawyer; Maxine, a homemaker; and
child growing up in a very large
Bird, the struggling owner of a hair
Midwestern family.
salon - don’t exactly get along. And
illman was drawn back to
their husbands, one of whom is an
his own favorite childhood
ex-con, aren’t making things any
memories of the massive Sunday
easier for their wives or Mother
afternoon dinners his Milwaukee
grandmother served up to the whole
Joe.
When Mother Joe takes ill. the
family. W hile the w om en cooked
family's ties, always on the verge
and g o ssip ed , the m en talked
of unraveling, seem to be coming
and b o asted -- and the w hole
apart for good. As his parents, aunts,
th in g ap p eared in cred ib ly d ra
uncles and cousin b attle over
m atic and m agical through a
money, affairs and career-changes,
young b o y ’s eyes.
it's up to young Ahmad, w ho’s al
he pow er o f those sim ple
family gatherings was as
ways had a special bond with
Mother Joe, to come up with apian
explosive as anything Tillm an
to keep the family together and
experienced grow ing up in the
teach them the true meaning of “soul
urban M idw est.
n 1995. T illm an finally put
food.”
Twentieth Century Fox Presents
hese vivid m em ories and
An Edmonds Entertainment Pro
c h aracters into final screenplay
duction, A George Tillman, Jr. Film
form , tap p in g into his feelings
Soul Food, starring Vanessa L.
ab o u t the im p o rtan ce' o f fam
Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia
ily , h is fe a rs a b o u t m odern
Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi
th re a ts to fam ily bonds and his
Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma P.
re d o le n t m em o ries o f the m y s
te rio u s c o n n e c tio n s betw een
Hall, Gina Ravcra and Brandon
the sto m ach and the heart.
Hammond.
ACT I I I
T icaad C imiaas
A former pro football player serves as a guardian to an outspoken 18-
year-old girl while running a sports injury clinic with two unpredictable-
partners - an outlandish physical therapist and an egocentric doctor - in the
half hour comedy series "In the House,” airing Mondays (8:00-8:30 p.m.,
ET/PT)on UPN. Starring arc (L-R) Kim W ayansasT onia; Mia Campbell
as Tiffany Warren; LL Cool J as Marion Hill; and Alfonso Ribeiro as Dr.
Maxwell Stanton.
L
L iotd M ail
I *cr m
Con
o r n u iu s
NEW LINE C IN E H lIl
Natural gas. V G
Electricity.
Endless possibilities.™
Is J u s t
A M ir a g e
7
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