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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2016)
December 21, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: ‘13th’ Indicts Criminal Justice System as Vestige of Slavery John Legend: The ‘La La Land’ Interview By Kam Williams For The Skanner News O hio-born John Legend is an award-winning, platinum-selling singer/songwriter. His work has garnered him ten Grammy Awards, an Oscar and a Golden Globe, among others. A graduate of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, where he studied En- glish and African Amer- ican literature, John par- ticipated in a wide range of musical activities while in college. During that period, he was introduced to Lauryn Hill, who hired him to play piano on her track “Everything Is Ev- erything.” Shortly there- aft er, he began to play shows around the Phila- delphia area, eventually expanding his audience base to New York, Bos- ton, Atlanta and Wash- ington, D.C. Aft er college, he was introduced to an up- and-coming hip hop art- ist named Kanye West. Kanye quickly signed John to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint and had him sing vocal hooks on some of his tunes. John’s career start- ed gaining momentum through a series of similar collaborations with established art- ists. He added vocals to an impressive list of chart-topping hits in- Ava DuVernay's '13th' investigates the criminal justice sytem John Legend and Ryan Gosling in ‘La La Land’ cluding Kanye’s “All of the Lights,” Jay-Z’s “En- core” and backup vocals on Alicia Keys’ 2003 song, “You Don’t Know My Name.” John’s debut album, Get Lift ed, was released to critical acclaim in December of 2004 by Columbia Records. The album landed multiple Grammys, including Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Perfor- mance. And earlier this year, John won his fi rst Academy Award for “Glory,” a song he wrote and performed with Common for the fi lm Selma. Throughout his ca- reer, John has worked to make a diff erence in the lives of others. In 2007, he launched the Show Me Campaign (Show- MeCampaign.org), an initiative that focuses on education as a key to breaking the cycle of poverty. He’s received the 2010 BET Humanitarian of the Year Award, the 2009 CARE Humanitar- ian Award for Global Change, the 2009 Bishop John T. Walker Distin- guished Humanitarian Service Award from Af- ricare, and the 2011 Har- vard Foundation Artist of the Year Award. Here, he shares his thoughts about playing his fi rst, major movie role opposite Ryan Gos- ling and Emma Stone in La La Land, a picture which he also executive produced. And he talks about his philanthrop- ic work and his new album, Darkness and Light, too. KW: Let me start by asking what made you decide to do this fi lm with Damien [writer/ director Damien Cha- zelle]? JL: Well, it really start- ed with meeting him as a fi lmmaker in my ca- pacity as a producer, be- cause my company, Get Lift ed Film Company, has done a few movies and a couple of televi- sion shows now. We love meeting with up-and- coming directors who are doing great things. And, obviously, upon the success of “Whip- lash,” Damien was some- See LEGEND on page 11 By Kam Williams For The Skanner News M any felt that Ava DuVernay was snubbed when she wasn’t nom- inated for an Oscar for directing "Selma." Fur- thermore, none of the picture’s cast or crew members were nominat- ed, despite the fact that it had been very well re- ceived by audiences and critics alike. But “Selma” apparently wasn’t being singled out, as African Americans were entirely overlooked by the Acade- my for the second year in a row. Since then, the Acad- emy has taken steps to make the Oscars more in- clusive, starting with in- viting more minorities to join its ranks. That bodes well for Ava in terms of her latest off ering, “13th,”a searing indict- ment of the criminal jus- tice system as a shameful vestige of chattel slavery. The documentary’s title was inspired by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which ended the institution of slavery “except as a pun- See 13TH on page 11 50th Anniversary 2016 KWANZAA Festival Of Events CELEBRATING FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND CULTURE Theme: “Kwanzaa, The Nguzo Saba and Our Constant Striving: Repairing, Renewing and Remaking Our World” Thank You PassinArt: A Theatre Company would like to extend our appreciation for your attendance and support of our 2015-2016 Season that included Tommy J and Sally; Smoldering Fires and our special holiday performances of Black Nativity by Langston Hughes. PassinArt: A Theatre Company mission is to entertain, educate and inspire artists and theatergoers while highlighting issues facing our community; and celebrating our culture and history; please go to www.passinart.net. Wishing you hope, peace and unity among your families, friends, and neighbors in the New Year. Featuring Okropong Professional musicians and dancers from Ghana Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Kwanzaa Libation, Umoja Candle lighting Ceremony, Poetry, Food, African Marketplace Monday, December 26, 2016 • 1:00 pm-4:00 pm Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 NE Knott St. Dec 27: KUJICHAGULIA - Self Determination N. Portland Library, 512 N Killingsworth St. • 6-7:30 pm Dec. 28: UJIMA - Collective Work and Responsibility Maranatha Church, Multi-Purpose Room 4222 NE 12th Ave (enter on Skidmore St.) • 6-8 pm Dec 29: UJAMAA Cooperative Economics Diverse and Empowered Employees of Portland Billy Webb Elks Lodge, 6 N Tillamook • 5-7 pm Dec 30: NIA Purpose The REAL Program (Recovery, Empowerment, Achievement in Life Umoja Center, 4941 NE 17th Ave. • 6:30-8:30 pm www.passinart.net | PassinArtTheatreCompany passinart@yahoo.com | (503) 235-8079 For information on Kwanzaa events call (503) 288-8429 All events are FREE
