M) B lack H istory M February 9, 2005 onth Page A9 Focus Chris Rock to Host Oscar Awards^ Show will set record for black actors (A P)- Six years ago, Chris Rock joked that the Academy Awards looked like the "million white man march” for its traditional under-rep resentation of blacks. performer to receive two nomina tions in the same year, as lead actor for his soul-stirring portrayal of Ray Charles in “Ray” and supporting actorfor “Collateral,” playinga wily c ab d riv er w ho holds his own against a relentless hit man. In the best-actor race, Foxx’s competition includes Don Cheadle for “Hotel Rwanda,” in which he plays real-life innkeeper Paul Rusesabagina, who shielded refu- Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte) a n d Paul (Don C headle) d is c u s s the d a ngerous conditions o u tsid e th e h o tel in U nited A rtists ' dram a “H otel Rwanda. " This time, with Rock taking his m aid en v o y a g e as h o st o f Holly wood’s biggest party, he will preside over a record Oscar night for black actors, who earned five of the 20 nominations. Jamie Foxx was the first black gees during the Rwandan geno cide. Sophie Okonedo earned a supporting-actress nomination as Rusesabagina’s wife. Among Foxx’s rivals for sup porting actor is Morgan Freeman, who earned his fourth nomination, playing an ex-boxer and resident sage of a run-down gym in “Million Dollar Baby.” T he w ave o f n o m in a tio n s com es three years after another historic O scar celebration for blacks, when Halle Berry won the b e s t- a c tr e s s a w a rd fo r “ M o n ste r’s B all” and D enzel W ashington took the best-actor honor for “Training D ay.” It was the first tim e blacks won both lead-acting prizes, and with “ A 1 i” star W ill Smith also nom inated, the first time in 29 years that blacks earned three nom inations in the lead categories. “I think you have to look toward Denzel and Halle for being such great am bassadors,” said Foxx, considered the favorite to win the best-actor prize for “Ray.” “They made it look good, did they not? It was so great to see them up there holding those statues. Whatever race you are, you couldn’t help but think they looked great. “To be wrapped in that beautiful black skin, it made young actors such as myself want to do more in film and be able to go to that big dance. The opportunities are get ting better.” Rock’s presence as host will add to the luster for blacks at the Feb. 27 Oscars. The feature-length docu mentary nominees include “Tupac: Resurrection,” a portrait of slain Chris Rock will h o s t o f th e 77th Annual A cadem y Awards on rapper Tupac Shakur, and the docu- Feb. 2 7 . (AP photo) The c a s t o f B E T's “College Hill. ' ‘Black Hippie’ Performs at IFCC Reflects on growing up middle class Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center will host David Daniels’ tour ing performance “Black Hippie Chronicles.” Developed with the guidance of the late Spaulding Gray, and inspired by Gray’s own work, M inneapolis-based performance artist Daniels reflects on his jour ney through the worlds of peace, love, pot and growing up in Middle Class Black America. For Daniels it is “a story of as similation gone wrong.” As the son of a doctor who was Mardi Gras at Interstate Firehouse ‘Masks, Music and Mayhem' gala Saturday Mardi Gras ¡scorning to Portland with Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center’s third annual Mardi Gras fund-raising gala, “Masks, Music and Mayhem," on Saturday, Feb. 12 from 7 to 11 p.m. Attendees will be transported to the world of Mardi Gras with au thentic foods, live music from jazz band “Everything’s Jake,” and the crowning of the Mardi Gras King and Queen. Matt Zaffino, NewsChannel 8 meteorologist, returns for the sec ond year as celebrity host. Tickets are $40 per person, or two for $75. For in fo rm atio n w w w .ifcc- arts.org, or call 503.823.4322. David D aniels the first African American in Hart ford, Conn., to have his own medi cal practice and a mother who was an educator and Civil Rights activ ist, David was raised in an environ ment unknown to many black fami lies in the 1960s. He describes a socially and reli- giously conservative home where there was a strong motivation to become “white,” to assimilate rather than celebrate the cultural differ ences o f their heritage. Daniels turned to counterculture as a response to his upbringing, and became a hippie like so many “privileged” young people rebell ing from their conservative roots. Performances will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the IFCC Theatre. Tickets are $10 general, $8 students and seniors for evening performances and $6 general, $4 seniors and stu dents for the matinee performance. For more reservations, call 503-823- 4322. The African American Men's Club "In the commnnity...for the commnnity" AAMC Valentine's Day Dance Saturday, February 12, 2005 9 PM - 2 AM Ramada Inn at the Airport 6221 NE 82nd Avenue Portland, Oregon 503-255-6511 woman trying to plan a future for« her daughter. The Oscar attention comes at a* time when movies headlined by! blacks. Ice Cube’s “Are We There: Y et” and Samuel L. Jack so n ’s» “Coach Carter,” are topping box« office sales. Following in the next couple of- months are Will Sm ith’s “Hitch,” Queen Latifah’s “Beauty Shop,”« Anthony A nderson’s “K ing’s Ran-» som ,” M artin L aw rence’s “Re-« bound,” B ernie M ac’s “G uess! W ho” and Cedric the Entertainer’s! “The Honeymooners.” Not a bad spring lineup for an! industry that had only a handful of! black performers with consistent« mainstream appeal before the mid-1 1990s, such as Richard Pryor, Eddie« Murphy and Sidney Poitier. In the academ y’s 77-year his tory, a scant 3.2 percent o f the act-J ing nom inations have gone to! blacks. W hile that figure has risen! from 2.8 percent three years ago, it! remains a weak track record given! that blacks make up 13 percent of! the U.S. population. Star Jones to Host E! Red Carpet BET Show Features New African American Cast “College Hill” launched its 13- week run on BET last week at 9 p.m. in the “Wild Wild W est” of the Oklahoma plains at Langston Uni versity with a special one-hour se ries premiere. Featured is a new cast of eight, but with the same saucy, volatile mix of eclectic personalities and on- and off-campus hi jinx that marked its debut last season. From classroom to chaos, the network’s cameras are there 24/7 to catch al 1 of the action. m entary short-subject category» featu res “ M ighty T im es: The» Children’s March,’’chronicling anti segregation efforts in Alabama in» 1963. Among foreign-language con-» tenders is the first South African« film nominated for an Oscar, “Yes-« terday,” about an HIV-positive* Caption: S ta r J o n e s will h o s t E! R ed Carpet for upcom ing award sh o w s. (AP) - Star Jones Reynolds will be back on the red carpet for E! Entertainment Television’s cover age of this year’s Screen Actors G uild, Gram m y and A cadem y Awards. Ted Harbert, president and chief executive officer of E! Networks, said he was thrilled Jones Reynolds would continue as host of E l’s “Live From the RedCarpet" awards specials. “Her passion and knowledge about the world of entertainment make her the ideal person to repre sent E! in our showcase event telecast,” Harbert said in a state-» ment Monday. Peninsula Little League 2005 (Serving the Youth of Inner North & Northeast Portland ages 5-15) vist our website at: www.eteamz.active.com/peninsulalittleleague Saturday, February 5, 2005 Early Bird Sign-ups ($10.00 discount, 2/5/05 only) Saturday, February 12,2005 Saturday, March 5, 2005 Softball Program Level Minor Major Junior Peninsula Park Community Center 700 N Portland Blvd 10:00 am - 2 pm & Portland O bserver 4747 NE M LK J r Blvd Ages 7 -9 10- 12 1 3 -1 5 Questions contact: M ark Washington 503-288-0033 Baseball Program Level T-Ball Farm Minor Major Junior Ages 5 -6 7 -8 7 -9 10- 12 1 3 -1 5 Hours: 10 am - 5 pm (Mon - Friday) Questions contact: Michael Mangum — Participation Fee - $85.00 (per player) $150.00 Family Maximum (2 or more children) The fee includes prepay o f fundraiser. 503-957-6274 503-901-1722 Items to bring to sign-ups: Birth Certificate Proof o f Address Doctor/Insurance Information Player Fee O N L IN E Registration N O W AVAILABLE! Go to our website listed above and click on Register Now! Managers, Coaches & Umpires Neede Coaches Clinic TBA Call 503-993-0846 for more information LIVE MUSIC Again! @ B illy R eed ’ s R estaurant i B ar 2X08 NE MLK 50 3-493-8127 wwK.billyreeds.com Watch for more coining dates Lets Do it again! Fairly Honest Jon Wed 1/26/05 $3 cover DJ Chata Man Thu 1/27/05 $3 cover Ticket Price: $20.00 per person Dress: After 5 Dance...Music...Fun...Raffle...Food...No Host Bar Randy Star &1116 Flirt Band Sat 1/29/05 $3 cover Chata Addy & Susutna Kenney Polson Jazz Fri 1/28/05 $3 cover Sun 1/30/05 No Cover