Page A8
(Elje ^Jortlanò (Observer
lanuary 29, 2003
Focus
B ik er B oyz B uilds from B la ck C ast
Film is an action
packed Western
on wheels
Opening nationwide on Friday,
Jan. 31, Biker Boyz is a contempo
rary Western on wheels with des
perados who live every day on the
edge. Lawyers and city workers by
day, they take to the streets in their
leather gear to race by night. In the
world o f underground motorcycle
clubs, the undefeated racer known
as Smoke is the undisputed “King
ofCali."ButSm oke’sdom inanceof
the set is about to be threatened by
a young motorcycle-racing prodigy
called Kid, who is determined to
win Sm oke’s helmet and earn the
coveted title.
Biker Boyz stars Derek Luke, who
is currently receiving critical and
audience acclaim for his perfor
mance in the title role o f Denzel
W ashington's "Antwone Fisher."
Luke also garnered the National
Board o f Review Award for Best
Male Breakout Performance forhis
work in the film, which marked his
feature film debut. Luke plays Kid,
opposite Laurence Fishbume, as
Smoke, who earned an Academy
Award nomination for his portrayal
o f Ike Turner in "W hat’s Love Got
to Do With It.”
Thefilm ’sethnicallydi verse cast
also includes Kid Rock (“Joe Dirt”),
Orlando Jones ("The Time Ma
chine"), Djimon Hounsou (“Gladi
ator” ), Lisa Bonet (“Enemy o f the
State"), Salli Richardson-Whitfield
(“Family Law"), Larenz T ate (“Love
Jones"), Meagan Goode (“Eve’s
Bayou"), Brendan Fehr (“Final
Destination”), Rick Gonzalez (“The
Rookie"), T erence I loward ("Hart's
War,” “The Best Man"), Eriq La
Salle (TV ’s “ER”), Vanessa Bell
Calloway (“The Brothers"), Dion
Basco (“ Love and Basketball"),
Dante Basco ("Extreme Days” ),
M elissa D eS ousa ("T h e Best
M an ” ),
K adeem
H ard iso n
("Showtime”), and Tyson Beckford
("Zoolander").
Biker Boyz, which opens nationwide on Friday, features a predominately African American cast.
W
Spike Lee On Civil Rights Icons
(AP) — Filmmaker
Spike Lee says h e’s
concerned that young
moviegoers will form
their first impressions
o f civil rights icons
Rosa Parks and Martin
Luther King Jr. from a
bitter character in last
year’s comedy “Barber
shop.”
The keynote speaker
at two events Saturday
honoring King’s birthday, Lee told
h undreds o f teen ag ers at the
Lauderhill Boys & Girls Club that
he didn’t laugh when he heard a
character played by Cedric the En
tertainer belittle Parks’ refusal to
o f being sexually pro
Filmmaker Spike Lee
miscuous.
makes a keynote
B ut Lee said too
• speech during an event
many adults do laugh at
honoring M artin Luther
those scenes. Instead,
King Jr, Lee did not
he said they should be
enjoy belittlem ent o f
teaching young children
Rosa Parks by Cedric
abou the accom plish
the Entertainer or
ments, challenges and
references to King's
sacrifices o f the leaders
promiscuity in ‘Barber
ofthe civil rights m ove
shop. '
ment.
“To me, some things
move to the back o f the bus.
aren ’t funny,” said Lee, 46, a native
Lee, the maker o f films such as o f Atlanta who grew up in Brook
“Malcolm X,” "Do the Right Thing" lyn, N.Y. “If our' young children
and the recently released “25th grow up thinking this, and that’sall
Hour,” also didn’t find it funny they know about (Parks and King),
when the character accused King then w e’re in trouble.”
Go to Paris without leaving Portland
Over 20 local African American artists are exhibiting textiles, paintings,
prints, drawings, photographs, mixed media works and sculptures to
reflect on one or more o fth e seven principles o f Kwanza. The IFCC is
located at 5340 N. Interstate Ave. Gallery hours are Tuesday through
Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. through
January. For more information, call 503-823-2070.
(AP) — Comcast, the nation's
largest cable television company,
and Radio One Inc. said M onday
they plan to launch a television
network targeted toward black
viewers.
The netw ork, to carry en ter
tainm ent, new s, opinion and
sp o rts p ro g ra m m in g , w o u ld
EEF1 AFRICAN
AMERICAN
MEN'S CLUB, INC.
y 2(203
Valentines ^ a l l
Annual
Featuring
The Kirk Green Band
Life-long Portland artist and first ever James
. DePreist Professor o f Art at Portland State University
show an exhibit o f work and present a slide show o f
additional works at Reed College in the Vollum Lounge at 4:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, Feb. 11. Shamsud-Din was the president o fth e Black Student
Union at PSU in the 60's until he left Portland to work with the civil rights
movement in the South. Since his return to the northwest in the 80s,
Shamsud-Din has involved himself in mural projects at local high schools
and government buildings in an attempt to create a sense o f community
among African American artists.
a
KMHD 89.1 FM
Fun
~'*Cf>
S0/S° ^ .
*<Me'
Friday, F ebruary 14, 2003
9:00 PM - 2:00 AM
The Melody Ballroom
African American author Sonia Sanchez will read her poetry and sign any
o f her 16 books at the Reed College Kaul Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb.
19 at 7:30 p.m. Sanchez, nationally known for her involvement in the Blaek
Arts Movement, has read her poetry and lectured nationwide about her
work during thecivil rights movement. She is theauthorof ‘Homecoming,’
'W e a BaddDDD People,’ 'Homegirls and Handgrenades,’ 'W ounded in
the House o fa Friend.' and most recently, ‘Shake Loose My Skin.’
615 SE Alder Street
Ticktis Available from
Cannon's Rib Express - 5410 N E 33ed Ave. - 503/288 3836
Hair Creations - 5425 NE JOth Ave - 503/281 1185
Any A A M C Member
E -Z N o il 288-3110
(Fred Meyer) Pastixx • 224-8499
One Stop M u s k , inc 284-2435
AAMC - In the Community For the Community
Proceeds from this event will benefit the AAMC Scholarship Fund
Valentines’ ‘D ay $ïï>eet vJDeart Celebration
Get The Blues...
February 14,2003
14.2003
Join Us at the
RAMADA and Suites
INN
at the Portland Airport In Lea’s Landing Restaurant
(lonuci ly OJCallahans)
fo r Live Music Featuring Pianist Frank Elliot
Vocal Jazz Concert
The West Linn High School and
South Eugene High School jazz
choirs will join Genesis, Mount
Hood Commun i ty Col lege' s vo
cal jazz group, for an evening o f
great jazz music. Init’s36,hyearof
providing jazz entertainment,
Genesis has won many awards
overtheyears, includingthe pres
tigious “db” award from Down-
beat Magazine. The concert will
be held Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30
p.m. in the MHCC College The
atre. General admission is $5 and
$3 for students. For more infor
mation, call, 503-491 -6923
compete with Black Entertainment
“African-Americans have expe
T elevision, founded in 1980 by rienced explosive population and
billionaire Robert Johnson and per-capita income growth and are
bought by Viacom Inc. in 2000.
one o f this country’s most attrac
The companies said they expect tiv e c o n s u m e r d em o g ra p h ic
to launch the network by the middle groups,” said Alfred C. Liggins,
o f this year. It will be designed to chief executive and president o f
appeal mainly to black viewers from Radio One. He will be chairman o f
25 to 54 years old.
the network.
Sonia Sanchez poetry reading
IFCC Kwanza celebration show
To celebrate their 30lh anniver
sary and the release o f their new
CD “The Women Gather” on
Earthbeat Records, Sweet Honey
in the Rock return to Portland for
a performance at Schnitzer Hall
on Jan. 31. They will perform their
uplifting and powerful a capella
music.
Programming will
compete for
viewers of Black
Entertainment
Television
Isaka Shamsud-Din art exhibit
From Jan. 25 to March 23, the Portland Art Museum will
feature ‘Paris to Portland: Impressionist and Post-Impres
sionist Masters in Portland Collections.’ The show incl
works drawn from private collections in the Portland area and has work
by Cezanne, Renoir, Monet, Gauguin, Picasso and prints by Toulouse-
Lautrec, amongst others. Some o f these works have never before been
seen in public. On Sunday, Feb. 2children and adultscan come to ‘Festival
Parisian' to experience activities and entertainment inspired by the art
collection. Kids can learn impressionist tissue painting, how to make art-
paper waterlilies, water reflections captured in oil pastels and work on
printmaking projects.
Sweet Honey in the Rock
anniversary
New Network for Black Viewers
I ) in n i- f fo r Tw o features Your Choice of I intrees:
Steak & Lobster • Orange Duck • Braised Chicken • Stuffed Salmon
p/w.s Chfuipagnc, Chocolates, and ft Red Rose
Ob
For only $64.95 Per Couple (G ratuty not included)
•($
Friday Freeway Blues -4 pm to 6 pm
Rhapsody in Blues ■ 6 pm to 10 pm
Blues Palace ■ 10 pm to 2 am
Portiani
Spend the Night at the Ramadabin and Suites with a
Chilled bottle of Champagne forTwo for only $74.00
Total Package for Room and Dinner for Two is only $ 138.95
(Not including Tax and Gratuity)
Call 503-252-5151 for Reservations!
Enjoy Valentine’s 'Day mr/> T'batfjpeiialfjoineonel1.!
j
it: Cold and flu likely.
According to Surveillance Data Inc., your city has just been pOPbn alert for respiratory illness - which means the worst
of cold and flu season is about to hit. Be prepared Stock up now. Anrt^NvMijSw 4du.com tor weekly cold and flu updates
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