Page B4-The Chronicle, Thursday, August 16, 1984 mm] J i l y^m ^Bt>?*v>%' 9 ^*v3r?% uiuppcu iu!> guaru ^iorgouen nis spinach?) in a local watering hole recently. News reports said Eddie was talking, and at least one listener (gay maybe?) wasn't digging -- and somebody threw a glass, somebody else threw a fist and stuff like that. When the smoke had cleared, Eddie had a fat lip, and the threat of an even fatter law suit. Oldtimers in Tinseltown are hinting that maybe fast-talking Ed| die should take a note from his once-wild-swinging peer Richard ' Pryor, who, when faced with the same problem of dealing with the "He' s so rich, I'm gonna test him" detractors, kept at his elbow a sort of middleweight Mr. T named Raoul.... OOOH, LA LA! ? Paramount Pictures, the studio that made the too-long-neglected "Jesse Owens Story" -- which has turned out to be the TV hit we told you it would be - is bellying up to another surefire blockbuster. Diva Diana Ross is going to star in "The Josephine Baker Story," according to the Hollywood Reporter, "after a two-year hassle .over-.teuRa+L' writing the script. Movies Rock star Prince: 1 By RHONDA BRANNON Syndicated Columnist Let me begin by saying I'm a fan of Prince. I enjoy his music and attend his concerts. As a singer, composer and performer, he is, in my estimation, superb. But as an actor he leaves much to be desired. "Purple Rain" is Prince's first movie and it depicts the stormy rise of a young singer-composer (Prince) named "The Kid." The Kid is an embittered young man, due, in part, no doubt, to his father, a frustrated composer who beats his wife and bounces The Kid off the walls a few times, too. * Clarence Williams III, last seen in the TV series, "The Mod Squad," turns in a mediocre performance as the father. All it seems he's called upon to do is beat his wife and son, mumble, grimace and make profound statements after his beating sessions. Olga Karlatos portrays the mother (To be honest, I shouldn't use the word "portray." That's usually applied to acting. Maybe "ap. pears as" is a better choice of words). She also mumbles between screeches and whines. k f Weekend The Arts, Leisure, Music, Columns fl |P^I a for my boss. A man to whom I wi W 8P?* I troduce to our company asked that 1 & "J a few times. Well, after about the t J * he admitted that he did WBff ^JLC not neec* our compa- jm K ny's services right now, "jB but he liked my voice I and wanted to get to know me better. He I lives in the same state, but in another city. M During the next few P weeks, he began calling me, and things got pret- I . ty personal. He started N| asking me things about viMivnTPM myseit -- tmngs such as my physic marital status, education, etc. 1 HJBWVHpH about it, the only correct answer I' the one about my marital status: I ' I *1 JTyj Til ^ ? 11 I didn't tell him the truth about or about how I look. 1 told him th; EbmUIwUmUa lege degree in personnel counseling secretary in this department, but I d /iniilB sonnel work that I don't feel like a j Also, although 1 have a cute fa K^Jilkiw i I ? j ^ 1 \ ^ ff overweight (about 40 pounds). Thi: tion, either. The had thinp ic thaf fhic man ic he's practically asked me to marry cover of the latest Essence seen. He tells me that he likes th tths before these unfortunate communicate so well. He says tha ams stepped down after Pen- the biggest problem that he's h, 3r edition. women in his life. _J Yolonda, I'm afraid that once h< hv's fat lip taught him Meanwhile, Diana has said nothing -- just as she won't say anything or sing nary a note in the Allan Carr film "Silence," for which she is now reported to be signed. And Al Jarreau has been set to star in "The Nat 'King' Cole Story," a two-hour CBS docudrama on which the late crooner's son, Kelly Cole, is working as a research assistant.... Sherman Hemsley is making the leap from "The Jeffersons" TV series to the movie screen in a film titled "Benny and Buford," currently filming in Mexico. It's about a couple of New York cops trapped in a Dixie mansion inhabited by a bigoted ghost.... Ernie Hudson, who appears in Columbia's current box office smash "Ghostbusters," seems to be on a winning roll. On the heels of a deluge of national publicity, Ernie's just been signed for 10 recurring guest spots on NBC's "St. Elsewhere" series. JUST FOR THE RECORD ? Oscar-Winning actor Sidney Poitier, who continues to mine gold in the rich vein of black Hollywood screen workers, has another heavy lineup working on Columbia's new dance musical "Fast Forward" (formerly "Shootout"). The crew includes Candace Allen, the bright Radcliff grad, who is 1st assistant director ? and the first black woman to fill that slot off a major film for a major studio. And there are 20 more: producrwjmtLn 1 Margaret MHchetl, who handles the money; Jill Please see page B5 le's no actor but he su Appolonia Kotero is Prince's love interest. Miss Kotero has a passable singing voice and makes a nice clothes hanger for the somewhat sleazy black and red outfits she wears in the movie ? and that is all. I am sure she got this part because she is a friend of Prince, not because she wowed him with her acting abilities. There is, though, one device Appolonia does employ rather well: the ability to cry on cue. Whenever Prince sings a song she bursts into a stream of tears. I guess the songs affect her so deeply. Morris Day, a member of the group the Time, portrays himself as The Kid's nemesis and I must admit that I found him to be quite funny. His comic timine and deliverv were excellent and he comes across as the type of performer who believes his own publicity and tries to live it to the utmost. Jerome Benton is Day's personal manager and best friend. he teams with Day, the results are hilarious. In one scene, they try ' to devise a password so Day can get away from his other women and get to know Appolonia better. The exchange between Day and Benton will make you chuckle, especially when Day raises an eyebrow and laughs as only he can. As for Prince, what can I say? In a performance that might be r-the-phone romance: I /lirtAAMMA/?4- i4-0 I it uui uistuuucti 11; stop liking me so much, and I'll lose him. He's woman with a aevCi al times If 1 thirikr\lfai' I could never *"inc* a Personne^ i?b *n Raleigh, his hometown. I ie " want him to like me as 1 really am, but men are so telephone calls figure-conscious. What should 1 do? as trying to inI call him back Karen lird phone call, I Dear Karen: Let me put it this way: You say you want this man to like you as you are, but clearly, l you don't like yourself as you are. If you did, you L wouldn't have found it necessary to be so evasive. What should you do? You can try the positive H|^H ' approach and sign up for a neighborhood aerobics class. Perhaps you can knock off a few of those Kiwi pounds between now and October. You can also sign up for an evening course in personnel work. But please, don't do all this for your blind date. HI Do it because evidently you want to see yourself as londa a more physically-fit and educated woman. . And don't be too hard on yourself in reference a appearance, to your omissions. Ten to one says that he has left 0 l1. V out a few unattractive details about himself, too. ve given him is am single. my education, Acts Fatherly Only After Separation at 1 have a col. Really, I'm a Dear Yolonda: I'm a 26-year-old black woman o so much per- two children. I lived with my children's secretary at all. father, but we never legally married. Today, other ce, I'm a little ^an ^ids, we bave nothing in common and s I didn't men- bave Problems communicating. Several months ago I began dating a man who is so serious that almost too good to be true. He is very concerned him, sight un- about me and the kids. He has moved in and has e fact that we helped me provide for them in ways that their I t this has been father never did. My boyfriend treats my kids as J ad with other though he is their father. . < j . 1 ? sees me, he'll Please see page B9 f ^? , i $h " * g$t'K' K22' *; m % # i ^^ Jt - ^ .I vsy^^HR ^H.., <* :> / ofl CcMie Murpliyi MKe Rh>>wtf Prjvrtia^m^-mgngmeTnd fo tune, literally, can be painful. rre sings up a storm expected of a first-semester drama student, he seems uncomfortable without his guitar, an audience and a song. When given a script, scenery and another person to deal with, he falters. He's not bad, mind you - with lessons, he could become quite good ? but in this movie he's just adequate. Prince is, however, mesmerizing and dynamic on stage, doing what he does best. He's in his element there and rivets your attention to the screen. The songs are electrifying and Prince is, too, but if you've been to any of his concerts, you already know that. If this is just a one-shot endeavor for Prince, it will be a very lucrative one. E3?b showing has been a sellout, and in its first \XJ?W? V * * D lir 1 A O O ? ~ -1 L * * ? *** "wn, i ui^iv rvai 11 ->/ui{5iuy>CU VJflUM DUSICTS in DOX OttlCC receipts. R If Prince continues to make films, however, let's hope, for the ^Jsake of his fans who appreciate good acting and adult dialogue, "that he'll hire stars who can act and writers who can write from here on out. "Purple Rain," rated R, is playing at the Reynolda Cinema. It contains profanity, some violence and nudity. *