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May 25, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment Fresh cont’d from pg 6 Nahnatchka Khan The writer-producer marvels at TV’s sudden burst of inclusiveness, including Aziz Ansa- ri in “Master of None” and Priyanka Chopra in “Quantico.” “The difference in the past year has been enor- mous. The fact we were right in the middle of this kind of change is in- credible, and we’re real- ly grateful for it,” Khan said. “The more, the merrier. Let’s just keep going.” Randall Park “I get stopped on street all the time, with people telling me how much the show means to them and that they watch it with their families,” he said. And it’s not just Asian-Americans, but “everyone,” Park said. “It’s easy for us to buy into the myths out there that people don’t want to watch a family that’s dif- ferent from them on TV, that it’s going to be too foreign for people,” he said. “Fresh Off the Boat” is disproving that. But Park recalls his own early concerns about how his character would be por- trayed. “Even though in the grand scheme of sitcom history there’s a tradition of the goofy dad, to me it was a point of concern because there weren’t a lot Asian sitcom dads to balance that out, or even Asian characters in gen- eral,” he said. “He is a character, for sure, but the writers have done such a great job of humanizing him. ... For all the silliness to this character, there’s a lov- ing side, a serious side.” Louis has shown “what a father could be, an im- migrant could be — or just a man could be,” Park said. Constance Wu Wu also felt the weight of high expectations for the series. “Some people wanted it to tackle race issues, and there’s some people who think the more progres- sive thing is to not look at race issues and just have them (the family) tackle normal issues such as puberty or cooking,” she said. But the writers have managed to do both. WELLS FARGO PRESENTS: Good in the Hood Music & Food Festival 2016 FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 24-26 Lillis Albina Park North Flint St. & Russell St., Portland PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGNOLIA PICTURES mary job, to be funny, the ABC shows make the case that there is — cynics and malcontents aside — a suburban-law n-sized patch of common ground to be found. The shows’ ratings are proof that viewers are responding, with both “Fresh Off the Boat” and “black-ish” se- cure on ABC’s schedule and “Dr. Ken” returning for its second year. As “Fresh Off the Boat” wrapped taping for the season, stars Randall Park and Constance Wu, who star as parents Lou- is and Jessica Huang, took a set break to reflect on its impact. Executive producer Nahnatchka Khan and Chelsey Crisp, who plays neighbor Hon- ey, weighed in later by phone. FILM REVIEW: ‘Presenting Princess Shaw’ Chronicles the Inspirational Ascension of YouTube Singing Sensation Samantha Montgomery is the subject of ‘Presenting Princess Shaw,’ an uplifting documentary about the struggles of a YouTube singing sensation. By Kam Williams For The Skanner News B y day, Samantha Montgomery cared for the el- derly as an order- ly in a New Orleans old folks home. After hours, however, the aspiring singer/songwriter spent most of her free time pursuing her elusive dream of superstardom. As Princess Shaw, she would perform solo in local clubs on open mic nights, mostly in front of inattentive, unappre- ciative audiences. She also posted heartfelt renditions of her orig- inal tunes on Youtube where she failed to gen- erate much of a follow- ing. But lucky for Princess, among her handful of fans was Ophir “Kuti- man” Kutiel, a pioneer- ing composer/musician/ video artist living half a world away on a kibbutz in Israel. Without her knowledge, he began producing her tunes in the studio, augmenting her haunting a cappella vocals with an orchestra that included keyboards, bass, cello, viola, drums, guitars, percussion, vi- olins, saxophones and a brass section. Miraculously, this promising diamond in the rough was suddenly blessed with a very pro- fessional sound evoca- tive of Amy Winehouse. And when Kutiman subsequently released his polished version of Princess’ “Give It Up” on Youtube, it soon went vi- ral, generating millions of hits. Next thing you know, the new internet sen- sation not only had a following, but found herself being mentioned in everything from the New York Times to Peo- ple Magazine, all thanks to a generous stranger she’d never even spoken to. Eventually, the two do finally meet when Princess flies to Tel Aviv to do a show booked by Kutiman. So unfolds Presenting Princess Shaw, a moving documentary directed by Ido Haar. The inspi- rational picture devotes as much time to details of Princess’ traumatic personal life as to her magical music. Along the way, we learn that she was left traumatized by the physical and sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of her moth- er’s boyfriend while growing up in Chicago. Today, she continues to encounter a host of chal- lenges, being Black, gay and struggling finan- cially. Let’s just hope that Princess Shaw is able to turn the corner with the help of this uplifting biopic and Kutiman’s mashups of her soulful ballads. Excellent HHHH Unrated Running time: 83 min. Distributor: Magnolia Pictures View the movie trailer and a video of Princess Shaw singing at TheSkanner.com Kam Williams Movie Previews at Award winning movie crit ic Revealing celebrity s interview NEW MOVIES OPENING EVERY WEEK! We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. LIVE MUSIC! Jazz • Blues • R&B • Latin • Pop Conscious Hip/Hop • NEO-Soul • DJ intermission. Multicultural Food • Market Place Informational Village • Parade Plus a kid friendly event: Good in the Hood Kids Space Saturday, June 25 & Sunday, June 26 from 12-6pm Exciting Games • Face Painting • Puppet Shows Legacy’s Emanuel “Trauma Nurses Talk Tough” $6 discounted bicycle helmet sale Legacy’s Health Pavilion offering FREE health screenings on Saturday from 12-4pm FESTIVAL HOURS: Good in the Hood Mixer Music by DJ Pryce and Hosted by Seezinin and Good in the Hood staff Friday June 24th Lillis Albina Park 6-10pm, Saturday June 25th. PARADE (NE MLK) Lillis-Al- bina Park 11am-10pm and Sunday June 26th Festival continuation 12noon to 9:30pm. To volunteer or find out how you can participate in this year’s event contact the GITH Hotline 971-302-6380 or visit: goodnthehood.org. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a “family wage” - fair pay for an honest day’s work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens’ needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? Go to www.NWCarpenters.org PORTLAND: 1636 East Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 | 503.261.1862 | 800.974.9052 HEADQUARTERS: 25120 Pacific Hwy S, Ste 200, Kent, WA 98032 | 253.954.8800 | 800.573.8333
