Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 3, 1983, edition 1 / Page 10
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Page AlO-The Chronicle, Thursday, November 3, 1983 arts & leisure Television, Radio, Advice, Music Broadway Is My Beat Murphy’s HBO concert; lacks ‘wit and humor’ By JOEY SASSO Syndicated Columnist Eddie Murphy’s second Home Box Of fice cable TV concert was an obscene, scatological, blasphemous disgrace. It was the most witless, jokeless onslaught we’ve ever seen. Though the gifted, 22-year-old young comic (“Saturday Night Live,’’ the film “Trading Places”) abandoned all wit and humor for a sordid string of expletives for their own pejorative sakes, the most disturbing sound was the voices of several children shrilling encouragement. Murphy’s routine displayed sheer ig norance that was totally absent of im aginative fun. In fact, ignorance extended even to the name of the heroic, gifted Marian Anderson. He had to ask his grubby audience her name, then misheard it as he called her “Mary Anderson.” It was almost the only clean sentence in his show. Blame Home Box Office for tastelessness, artistic recklessness and sim ple unadulterated greed for bringing such intellectual excrement into the nation’s living rooms.... Teddy Pendergrass’ first project since his near-fatal auto accident 19 months ago is no longer a mystery. Though it’s been reported that Teddy, partially paralyzed when his Rolls Royce hit a tree near Philadelphia back in March 1982, had returned to the recording studio, no one said precisely what his premier project would be. Well, we’ve learned that Teddy has already taped the title song for a new film called “Choose Me” and will sing several other selections on the soundtrack as well. Luther Vandross is writing and produc ing the music. The movie was directed by Alan Rudolph and stars Genevieve Bu- jold, Keith Carradine, Lesly Ann Warren and Rae Dawn Chong. Rudolph describes “Choose Me” as “love noir -- a distorted love story.”... Love Boat barman Ted Lange discovered a humdinger of a mixed drink, the Mao Tai, while filming this fall’s specials in China. “The first sip kills your tastebuds,” he reports. “The second blurs your vision — and the third makes you forget you’re in China.”... Sidney Poitier is getting ready to return to the screen after an absence of more than six years. The superstar of the 60s signed a four-year contract with Colum bia Pictures in 1979, but ended up limiting his activities to directing such frothy fare as Richard Pryor’s hit “Stir Crazy” and the Gene Wilder-Gilda Radner “Hanky Panky” flop. Miss Pegram Hall, Regeania McQuaig, greets the parade goers during Winston-Salem State University’s annual homecoming parade held downtown last Saturday morn ing (photo by James Parker). % Rolls Royce’s preparing for a ‘facelift’ By JOHN SLADE Assistant Editor Rolls Royce Lounge on Liberty Street may soon get a “facelift,* Althea Bailey, the club’s manager (photo by James Parker). says This is the second in a series profiling area nightclubs. If a cozy atmosphere is what you want, you don’t have to look further than Rolls Royce Lounge, says Althea Bailey. Bailey has been the manager at Rolls Royce since June and says that business has been “up and down.” “People tell me that business really doesn’t begin until around Thanksgiving,” she says, “and goes strong until around April and then slows down again.” She attributes this trend to people having a variety of outdoor activities to choose from in the summer. “Right now,” says Bailey, “one week (business) may be good and the next week it may be down. There’s no constant pattern at this time.” Though Bailey says business could have been better in the four months that she has managed the club, she says some of the club’s problems have been caused by uncon trollable factors, most notably stiffer drinking-and-driving laws. “People can’t go out and have a real good time like they used to,” she says, “because they are afraid of going to jail if they have too much to drink.” And the state Legislature raising the legal age to buy beer to 19 cut into the number of patrons at Rolls Royce even further, says Bailey. Before the new drinking-and-driving laws, the club could expect a Friday night crowd of 200 or more, she says, but now that number is usually under 100. Despite the relatively small number who regularly attend Rolls Royce, Bailey says the “family” is growing all the time. And when the new change of ownership is complete, she says she hopes the club can undergo a change. “That’s something we’re working on,” she says. “We feel confident that things will change and move for us. We’re going to do something to give it (Rolls Royce) a facelift.” But she says she doesn’t see this as com peting for customers. “There’re some dedicated people who come to the club no matter how many or how few are here,” she says. “This is like home to them and they feel comfortable here. But we’ve got to find our people — and we’re still searching. “I personally don’t feel we are competing with other clubs,” she says. “What matters is what does this club have to offer?” Rolls Royce is particularly proud of its membership policy because it exempts members from any cover charges, no matter what event is going on at the club, says Bailey. ThS club also features two full bars, a pool room, a video arcade area, a newslet ter to its members and a lounging area, com plete with a wide-screen TV. “We’re going to try to pull in the Monday night football crowd with our new TV,” says Bailey. Special activities, such as the one planned for Monday night football and fashion shows, is one reason that Bailey says Rolls Royce can’t be neatly labeled either a disco or nightclub. “If you want to get technical. Rolls Royce is a disco,” she says. “But our people range from 21 to 38.” Special events, says Bailey, make Rolls Royce part nightclub. “It’s hard to call us a disco or a nightclub — we’re a little bit of both,” she says. “A disco is nothing but go ing to the bar and dancing. We’re the best of both worlds. I don’t know if there is a name for a place like this.” And that Rolls Royce is relatively small doesn’t bother Bailey. In fact, she sees it as a point in the club’s favor. “A large place can make you feel lost,” she says. “Rolls Royce is cozy. A lot of women come here alone and don’t mind it.” She says the club plans an extensive pro motion campaign soon, with money slated for media ads and membership drives, to reach “its group of people.” “There are enough people in Winston- Salem to fill all the clubs,” says Bailey, “because there are enough people to decide what they want to do. “We may all be discos — but we all have different atmospheres.” Ask Yolonda Woman cancels lifetime friendship after her friend’s marriage By YOLONDA OA YLES Syndicated Columnist Dear Yolonda: After almost 20 years of friendship with a woman 1 consider my best and closet friend, she informed me that she no longer wants to be friends witli me because 1 am married. My friend (I’ll call her Mary) is not married nor is she dating at this time. She feels like an ugly duckling and her ego is at an all-time low. She says she no longer wants to see me, and that 1 don’t understand her feeling because 1 have someone and she doesn’t. I explained that my marriage has nothing to do with our friendship, but she would not listen. Since then, our relationship has become distant. At first. 1 felt sorry for Mary and even sorrier for myself because I don’t want to lo.se a friend over jealousy or a lack of confidence. After I thought about it. though. 1 fell as though she needs a good, stiff kick. If she chooses to stay single, she should do it without making me feel guilty or ending our friend ship. We are loo old to play games with one another. I haven’t talked to Mary since we had this discus sion, and that was several months ago. Should I call or just hold out until she wants to talk to me? Eileen Dear Eileen: I would say that you might wait a while before you call her, but surely not for the same reasons you choose. To me, a friend is someone who takes great pains to understand where the other person is coming from. In other words, you friend needs lime to realize that you have absolutely nothing to do with her marital circumstances. Being a real good friend, you understand that. Yolonda An Angry Sickle Cell Victim Dear Yolonda: I’m lying here, flat on my back, in the county hospital, for what seems to be one of many endless visits. I have sickle cell anemia. I guess I should feel lucky because I’m still alive --1 say that because I’ve seen a brother and a father die from this disease. I’m not writing to explain the pain of sickle cell anemia. I’m sure that you and most readers in your audience are well aware of that. I’m also sure that you are aware that it’s a disease that’s primarily limited to blacks. Right now, one in every 500 blacks have it. You can ask me anything about the disease. Believe me, I know. My whole adult life has been in volved in it - either reading about it, or being ill with it. 1 can’t tell you how many days I missed from school as a result of my many crises. My question is, what is it going to take to make society more concerned about people like myself? How many have to die before more research is done? What has to be done before people start becoming angry? To get at what I’m talking about, look at herpes, for example. Now, I’m very concerned about the people who have this disease, but come on! Every time you look at TV or open the newspapers, so meone is talking about it, yet, no one dies from herpes! People do die from sickle cell. My question is, what has to happen before people become mad as hell about people like me? Please tell me. Rhonda A, in Calumet City Dear Rhonda: Dr. Russell L. Miller, dean of Howard University’s medical college, advised me that there is continuous research being conducted both here and abroad on sickle cell anemia, yet clear ly not enough. As always, more research follows add ed commitments and dollars. If you (and I) want to see this age-old problem cleared up, what we’re going to have to do is show concern by making sure public officials know where we’re coming from on this issue. What to do? Start by penning a post card to Con gressman Julian C. Dixon, Chairman of the Congres sional Black Caucus, 423 Cannon Building, Washington, D.C., 20515. Simply say: “Dear Chair man Dixon: Put sickle cell on the agenda.” That kind of effort offers amunition to do something about the problem.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Nov. 3, 1983, edition 1
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