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December 2, 2015 The Skanner Page 9 Arts & Entertainment Nick Cannon: The ‘Chi-raq’ Interview By Kam Williams For The Skanner News N ick Cannon is a multi-faceted en- tertainer who wears many hats: comedian, executive producer and host for television, fi lm star, director, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author of children’s books. Cited by People magazine as one of the “Top 10 Most Successful Young People in Hol- lywood,” Cannon is proof positive that focus and hard work can pay off . Nick made his fi rst appearance on the big screen alongside Will Smith in Men in Black II, and was later seen in Drumline and Bobby. More recently, he wrote, directed and produced his fi rst studio fi lm, School Dance, and produced the sequel, Drum- line: A New Beat. And he is currently in production on the reboot of the TV-se- ries, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. The San Diego native began perform- ing at the age of eight, aft er his grand- father left him several instruments as a gift . Shortly thereaft er, he took to the stage to perform his music along with stand-up comedy. Nick headed for Hollywood at the age of 15 and landed gigs at world-re- nowned comedy venues including The Improv, The Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store before landing his fi rst television gig as a series regular and writer on Nickelodeon’s long-running hit series All That. This trajectory cul- minated in the creation of “The Nick Cannon Show,” which he starred in, di- rected and executive-produced. Nick currently hosts NBC’s America’s Got Talent, which kicked off its 10th season last May. “ Spike Lee came to me and said, ‘I want to save lives in Chicago, on the South Side’ Here, Nick talks about playing the title character in Spike Lee’s new fi lm, Chi-Raq, a modernized adaptation of Aristophanes’ classic Greek comedy, Lysistrata. Film Review: ‘Chi-Raq’ By Kam Williams For The Skanner News J ust when we were ready to give up on Spike Lee, wouldn’t you know he’d reassert his relevance with a decent inner-city drama decrying the gang violence in Chicago? Ironical- ly, this timely tale is based on Lysistrata, an ancient play staged by Aristophanes in 411 BC. Set in Athens during the Pelo- ponnesian War, a headstrong female brought an end to the hostilities by per- suading the women of Greece to with- hold sexual favors from their mates until peace was declared. Spike’s version unfolds in pres- ent-day Chicago where we fi nd a gun moll named Lysistrata (Teyonah Par- ris) growing frustrated by the escalat- ing body count in the Windy City war between a couple of rival street gangs. Her boyfriend, Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon), is the leader of the purple-sporting Spartans, the sworn adversaries of the orange-clad Trojans. She gets fed up when a neighbor’s (Jennifer Hudson) young daughter is caught in the crossfi re during a drive- by shooting. Besides borrowing Aristophanes ba- sic plotline, I must point out that Chi- Raq’s dialogue is almost entirely in verse. When was the last time you saw Nick Cannon a movie that rhymed? The novel screenplay was co-au- thored by Spike with fi lm professor Kevin Willmott, the brains behind Con- federate States of America, a brilliant social satire speculating about what the U.S. would be like today, if the South had prevailed in the Civil War. Watching Chi-Raq, the pair’s experi- ment in iambic pentameter gets tiring aft er about 15 minutes or so. You feel like yelling, “OK, you made your point. Now just let the thespians act without the burden of having to sound poetic.” Credit Spike for assembling an A-list cast featuring Teyonah Parris as Lysis- trata and Nick Cannon in the title role. The dramatis personae also includes Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hud- son (for Dreamgirls), Oscar-nominees Angela Bassett (for What’s Love Got to Do with It?) and Samuel L. Jackson (for Pulp Fiction), as well as Dave Chappelle, John Cusack, Felicia “Snoop” Pearson and real-life, grassroots activist Father Michael Pfl eger. Chi-Raq may never be confused with She’s Gotta Have It (1986) or Do the Right Thing (1989), but it nevertheless rep- resents the best adaptation of a classic into ghetto fabulous fare since the in- spired reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet as Romeo Must Die (2000). Kam Williams: Hi Nick. I’m honored to have another opportunity to speak with you. Nick Cannon: Oh, likewise, Kam. How’re you doing? KW: Great, thanks. I told my readers I’d be interviewing you, so I’ll be mix- ing their questions in with mine. Chil- dren’s book author Irene smalls asks: What interested you in Chi-Raq? NC: Even before I read a script, Spike Lee came to me and said, “I want to save lives in Chicago, on the South Side.” And I was like, “I’m in! I don’t know what that is, but I’m in.” Then, when I saw how he made the brave artistic choice to take Aristophanes’ 2,500 year- old play, Lysistrata, and set it in modern times, I thought that was brilliant and I felt honored to be able to be a a part of the project. KW: Were you aware of Lysistrata before making this movie? NC: Yeah, I was defi nitely familiar with Lysistrata and other works of Aristophanes, and had heard the play’s plot referenced in various ways over the years. KW: What did you think about all the rhyme in the dialogue? NC: I thought it was outstanding that this fi lm was in verse. I love how Spike remained faithful to that original for- mat while mixing in spoken word and hip-hop and conveying an emotional message. KW: Irene also asks: To what extent do you think we Blacks are responsible for the violence in our communities? NC: I say we’re responsible for ev- erything in our community. We have to take responsibility for us, and for our own. Right now, I feel like it’s about reconditioning the community. We let See CANNON on page 11 Make The Skanner part of your daily routine for a better day today and tomorrow. HH ½ Very Good Grab the headlines from your mobile device. Tap to view local events and announcements. Get a quick update or enjoy an in-depth read on your desktop. Receive Breaking News, you won’t fi nd anywhere else, in your inbox. Don’t miss anything! Page through the latest print edition online.
