Zora Neale Hurston – Story Teller

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...

Another look at "In the Bedroom"

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)

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 person. They...

BTW…NYC in April 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,...

Playing the “Who’s the Best” Game

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 unrealistic...

The Artist Known as Bob Dylan

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...

Aretha Franklin

“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...

AZ Black Film Showcase Success

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...