Archive for April, 2008

Zora Neale Hurston – Story Teller

Monday, April 28th, 2008

I enjoyed “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun”, a PBS “American Masters” documentary that I watched last week.

Ms Hurston, 1891 – 1960, started to publish right after the height of the Harlem Renaissance. The ability to support oneself with art that explored the African-American experience waned with the onset of the depression [...]

Another look at "In the Bedroom"

Friday, April 25th, 2008

I really liked “In the Bedroom” the first time I saw it. It’s a movie with a monster who does not look like a monster. I recently watched the ending and appreciated the craft of the entire crew, especially the director in the choices he made. For me the movie is not about the crimes [...]

BTW…April in NYC (Part 2)

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

So, I’m still living on the fumes of my April in New York City adventure.
Went to MOMA on 53rd St and saw the usual suspects – Cezanne, Picasso, Gauguin, Rothko, etc. But, then I went into a little room with the Van Gogh’s. I’ve always liked his work, but I had never seen them in [...]

BTW…NYC in April 2008

Monday, April 21st, 2008

I had a great time on my recent city visit. I set up a series of “play dates”: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “Passing Strange”, “Macbeth” and “Thurgood”. I enjoyed them all!

Macbeth

My niece, Cybel, and I loved “Macbeth” with Patrick Stewart, (a consummate theater actor, but, perhaps best know from “Star Trek: Next Generation”). [...]

Playing the “Who’s the Best” Game

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

After spending weeks following sports, you come away feeling that there is a top ten to every subject. Who are the top ten “Point Guards” to ever play the game. Who are the best Golfers, who is or was the best putter, who the best sports announcer. It seems fitting and at the same time [...]

The Artist Known as Bob Dylan

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

We all know that he writes, he sings, he’s a poet, he’s a musician - he just received an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his “profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” Nice, but, did you know that Bob Dylan also paints?!

His book of his art work, [...]

Aretha Franklin

Sunday, April 6th, 2008

“Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul”

This fabulous CD (October, 2007), covers the years 1966 to 1974. It has some unreleased songs, some outtakes and of course some of those familiar classics that did make it onto the radio such as, “Rock Steady”, “You’re All I Need To Get [...]

AZ Black Film Showcase Success

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

All of the many ways one can shape the public perception of a culture through film were alive and well this month. From a visionary film maker and producer, marketing professional, events producer, to actors. If you weren’t in AZ for the Black Film Showcase, you should have been.
I interviewed Director Lee Daniels (Shadowboxer, [...]