‘Black Magic’ to Air on ESPN

 Just in time for March Madness, ESPN will air “Black Magic,” a film directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Klores that tells the story of the Civil Rights movement in America, as told through the lives of basketball players and coaches who attended and worked at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, jazz great Wynton Marsalis, and New Orleans Hornets star point guard Chris Paul, “Black Magic” will be presented by Russell Athletic Group and State Farm commercial free on ESPN March 16 and 17, 6 p.m.

**Pictured: Earl Monroe (left) and Clarence “Bighouse” Gaines.  

Cannick to Run for 47th District Delegate Seat

Local community activist and journalist Jasmyne Cannick has announced her bid to represent the 47th Assembly District as a delegate on the County Central Committee in California’s June 3rd State Primary election. Primarily responsible for recruiting and working for the election of Democratic Party candidates throughout their county, Democrats will go to the polls on June 3rd to elect seven members from their respective Assembly districts to the County Central Committee. This is Jasmyne’s first run for public office. Information: www.Vote4Jasmyne.com.

The 47th Assembly District includes the Los Angeles communities of Westwood (including University of California Los Angeles), West Los Angeles, Rancho Park, Cheviot Hills, Mid City, Palms, Crenshaw, West Adams, Leimert Park and Hyde Park; the unincorporated communities of View Park-Windsor Hills, Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills; and all of Culver City. The last day to register to vote in the June 3rd election is May 19th. 

Currently, at 30, Jasmyne Cannick is a critic and commentator who writes about the worlds of pop culture, race, class, and politics as played out in the African-American community.

Previously she served as the press secretary to the California Legislative Black Caucus and Assemblyman Mervyn M. Dymally, and more recently in the United States House of Representatives. 

She co-founded the National Black Justice Coalition, the nation’s Black gay civil rights group and served as co-chair of the National Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus.  Locally, Jasmyne continues to make time to volunteer with Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable and the Pan African Film and Arts Festival.

 

The Power of the Black Vote

 

By BROOKLYNE GIPSON

 

 

A year ago I attended a Barack Obama rally at Rancho Cienega park near Dorsey High School. I went because I had heard whispers here and there about this relatively unknown black Senator from Illinois who was rumored to be a viable candidate for the US presidency. So I trekked over to the rally with raised eyebrow because I wasn’t so sure that he’d be the candidate for me. Ethnicity has never and will never be a qualifying factor in the decisions I make, so there was no need for me to get too excited about the idea of a potential black President of the United States at the time.    However, I left the rally in awe. I was impressed by Barack’s now arguably over-saturated message of bringing change to American politics. I was relieved at the absence of hyper-racial Sharptonian-style politics and delighted to hear messages of true American unity (“It’s not about red states or blue states, it’s about the United States!”). I was charmed— as have many Americans in the last few months— by his relatable, personable character. I was pleased with each and every point that Obama made in his stump speech as I felt that his moderate and practical views were totally in line with mine.  I was sold.  By the time Sister Sledge’s “We are Family” was blaring from the loud speaker, sending visitors off, I was already on my cell phone telling my friend who had missed the opportunity to go with me just how amazing and inspiring that 45 minutes had been for me. It was a watershed moment.Obama left the rally with not only my total support but I was surprisingly left with something as well— a rejuvenated level of hope and belief. I knew that this was going to happen for him. Naturally my excitement over the endearing candidate was met with a lot of skepticism among my family and friends as I quickly hit the pavement running on informing them about Barack. I heard the exact responses that Obama had forecasted in his speech. “A black man, for president? America is just not ready.” To which I replied, “But are you ready?” Then I’d hear, “White people aren’t going to vote for him,” to which I replied “but will you vote for him? He needs your support too.” Most disheartening of all, was a close friend of mine who said “The way I see it, from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration, there hasn’t been any real change in my life so why vote? My vote doesn’t count anyway.” And so on, and so on. In those early stages it was an uphill battle to get people motivated, to believe, to even pay attention. But hope prevailed. Almost one year later, I sat at my desk and opened the (March 12) Los Angeles Times newspaper and came across an article titled “Black Vote Fuels Obama Primary Win” by Mark Z. Barabak who commented on Barack’s latest victory in the Mississippi primaries, pointing out that: “Overall, black voters accounted for roughly half the vote…Nearly complete returns late Tuesday in Mississippi showed Obama with 61 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 37 percent. The high black turnout helped Obama beat Clinton among voters across a range of education and incomes.”After reading the article, I sat back and marveled at the power of the black vote.

 

At this point, I feel like Obama has already accomplished more than most black people ever thought was possible and instilled such a high quality of hope and belief in not only the African American community but the entire American community that even if this were the end of the road, he’ll still be revered as a hero.

At this point, he’s made it so that there is no excuse. The lights have dimmed on the people who boast their reasons for not voting. The negativity of the nay-sayers has waned with each victory and the skeptics have turned their attention to an evident truth that their hesitance hadn’t allowed them to realize before- there’s power in the black vote. I look forward to the day when my future child inevitably writes the black history month report on a true American hero— Barack Obama and I hope that it inspires them to hope, to believe, and to know that the sky is the limit and that the glass ceiling exists only in their mind.From Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”: “Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? …I’m not talking about blind optimism here—  the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; … the hope of a mill-worker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!”

Oh Damn…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tocarra graces the cover of the May issue of King Magazine.

Tocarra looks good, but she definitely didn’t look good having this meltdown on Celebrity Fit Club:

Movie Review: ‘City of Men’ Returns to Rio Slums of ‘City of God’

By Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer

“City of Men” begins atop the metaphorically named Dead End Hill in Rio de Janeiro, where a gun-toting gang is lazily contemplating a swim.

With the sun beating down, the gang, led by a charismatic figure named Midnight (Jonathan Haagensen), decides to head down the hill to the beach. Their preparation isn’t gathering towels, but quickly establishing a perimeter of guards and calling the cops to alert them that they’re “coming through.”

Such is the world of Rio’s shantytowns or “favelas” where violence travels with ease, as depicted in “City of Men.” The film is a unique companion piece to “City of God,” a minor international hit in 2002 that drew comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and was nominated for four Academy Awards.

“City of God” was a visceral, stylish tale about a generation of gang life in the favelas, filmed with MTV-like flash by Fernando Meirelles, who has since made “The Constant Gardener.”

“City of God” bristled with the sexiness and destruction of young gang life, but was also almost ridiculously sensational.

“City of Men” is a more humanistic film, primarily focused on the lives of those in the shadow of Rio’s gangs, either enamored by them or cowering from them. Meirelles is here a producer, and gives way to Paulo Morelli.

Morelli directed several episodes of “City of Men” the TV series, which was hugely popular on Brazil’s TV Globo and appeared in the United States on the Sundance Channel. Footage from the series, which ran for four seasons, is used for flashbacks in the film.

In the favelas, everything is intertwined and everyone has allegiances that overlap. At one point, a gang member wonders aloud if everyone is everyone’s cousin.

Wallace’s pursuit of his father digs up skeletons from the past that are almost too neatly parallel to the present. The point is that generations have been fighting the same way for decades, and no one’s winning. With the TV series and now the second film, it’s easy to see the enduring appeal of the favelas to the filmmakers: they’re teaming with vibrancy and conflict. Though the histrionics of “City of Men” are a bit obvious, and it lacks the bravado of “City of God,” it’s ultimately a more rewarding film.

Will the Real Hatless Ne-Yo Please Stand Up?

A few days I posted a pictured of someone that was supposed to be Ne-Yo (please review). Then I saw this picture- the honest to God hatless Ne-Yo pic because it’s a mug shot from the Atlanta Police Department after he was charged with reckless driving and driving withough a license last week in Atlanta. He’s due back in court on March 25 to answer to the charges. But more importantly, I truly understand now why he always wears that hat and this is kind of one of those things I wish I hadn’t have found out…

Donda West Law Proposed

Assemblywoman Amina Carter of California announced last week that she has proposed the ”Donda West Law”- a law that would require all patients receiving elective plastic surgery to receive clearance from a licensed doctor, allowing doctors to ensure that patients are healthy enough to endure the potential rigors of general anesthesia.

Dr. Donda West, the mother of Kanye West, died Nov. 10 at a hospital in Los Angeles a day after undergoing breast reduction surgery, a tummy tuck and liposuction. An autopsy revealed she likely died of heart disease, coupled with complications after the surgery, “but the final manner of death could not be determined,” the report concluded.

High School Football Star Gunned Down in Random Act

LOS ANGELES (AP)—A 17-year-old high school football star is dead, gunned down on a sidewalk a few yards from his home in what authorities are calling a random, unprovoked gang attack. Jamiel Andre Shaw, a standout running back at Los Angeles High School and the Southern League’s most valuable player last season, was shot about 8:40 p.m., March 2 just a few doors away from his home in the Crenshaw area.

Police said Shaw was not a gang member, but was shot multiple times after he didn’t respond when two men pulled up in a car and asked him “Where you from?” code for which gang did he belong to. He died later at a local hospital.

On March 3, his mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, was on her way back from Iraq, where she has been serving her second tour of duty. His father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., said he called Jamiel on Sunday (March 2) night, telling him to hurry home from the mall. A few moments after hanging up, Jamiel Sr. said, he heard the shots outside.

“They killed him while his mother is in Iraq fighting, dodging bullets, and she gets a phone call to say her son is on the streets of L.A., dead. For what?” Jamiel Sr. said.  

Hardy Williams, football coach at Los Angeles High, said Jamiel was “a very special kid. Not only was he an outstanding athlete, he was a good person.” And, Williams said, he was “a Houdini on the football field.” Jamiel was an all-city first-team selection last season after he rushed for 1,052 yards, averaging more than 14 yards per carry, and scored 10 touchdowns. He also ran track. In the past week, Williams said, Stanford and Rutgers universities contacted him about Jamiel. “He was elated,” Williams recalled.

Police said they are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects, whom officials described only as two Latino men in a white compact sedan. Investigators believe the shooting was not racially motivated. Jamiel was black.

Web Site Launched to Stop Racist Comedian

Here we go again, if you’re not familiar with Shirley Q. Liqour alias Charles Knipp, a 45 year-old gay drag comedian, who performs in blackface then congratulations!

Please excuse me while I rain on your racially harmonious parade.

Nicknamed “the Queen of Ignunce” Knipp describes Shirley as “an illiterate welfare mother with 19 kids who guzzles malt liquor and drives a Caddy” who pronounces everything wrong, think “K-Mark” instead of K-Mart and attends Mount Holy Olive Second Baptist Zion Church of God in Christ of Resurrected Latter-Days AME CME. Knipp routinely performs stand up routines across the country despite resistance from the African American community.

::Shaking My Head::

A Web site has been launched to stop the comedian: www.BanShirleyQLiquor.com.

My Girl Kerry Washington Featured in Will.i.am’s Video Sequel to “Yes We Can”

Will.i.am went back in the lab, rounded up even more celebrities and recorded another song and video in support of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Titled “We Are The Ones,” the track features Kerry Washington, Regina King, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Tichina Arnold, Tyrese and a host of Hispanic entertainers such as Jessica Alba, John Leguizamo and George Lopez explaining why they support Obama while the vocal refrain of “O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!” is sung and chanted in the background by others, such as Macy Gray.

The song is a follow-up to will.i.am’s inspirational video “Yes We Can,” a viral sensation that has garnered more than 5 million hits on YouTube.com alone. That song features Obama’s voice from a New Hampshire concession speech set to will.i.am’s music and melody, plus vocalizations of the speech from the likes of Scarlet Johansson, John Legend, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Herbie Hancock and other celebrity supporters.

Kerry Washington, who’s in Texas campaigning for Obama, said she got involved in the “We Are The Ones” video after some fellow volunteers alerted her to the video shoot. She said she’s already gotten dozens of phone calls since the clip debuted Feb. 29 on will.i.am’s www.Dipdive.com. As far as whether it will bring more people to the polls tomorrow for Obama, Washington said:

“It’s a hard thing to quantify. But … it’s evidence of how inspired the nation has become. The arts have always been a place where people express their dreams and hopes. … What’s happening is people are seeing their own excitement reflected in a national forum, and it sort of increases that excitement exponentially.”

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