4B
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/The Charlotte Post
Thursday, January 18, 1996
LISA COLLINS
Behind
the Scenes
c
i Winfrey
I African Americans, 1996 looks
I to be a very balanced year -
I both in film content and quan-
tity. The overwhelmingly
, strong box office support for
jj “Waiting To Exhale” has
; shown Hollywood brass that in
,| catering to violent and crime-
’ laden depictions of blacks in
S films thus far, they’ve been
i ignoring a very profitable seg-
I ment - the black middle class.
, “Exhale” has shown that
: African Americans are eager to
, see more of themselves on
• screen in movies with broader
j story lines. And analysts say
you’re bound to see more of
them. Fact is, leading off this
year’s lineup of films is one
j such film - Tim Reid’s “When
: We Were Colored,” which is set
[ for release later this month. “A
! coming-of-age story in the seg-
! regated south,” it is based on
,1 Clifton Taubert’s book “Once
i Upon A Time...When We Were
' Colored ” For his directorial
j effort, Reid (a regular on
“Sister, Sister”) assembled a
; star-studded cast including A1
1 Freeman Jr., Bernie Casey,
; Phyllicia Rashad, Polly
Bergen, Anna Maria Horsford
■ and Richard Roundtree.
Reid’s not the only
^ Hollywood filmmaker who has
opted for higher ground. I’m
anxious to see what John
Singleton does with
; “Rosewood,” which is based on
^ the case of an affluent (or the
■ very least self-sufficient) all
black town in Florida that was
torched - and its people mas
sacred by whites - and the
: coverup that followed. (Sad to
say, it’s a true story). Also com
ing this year is Paramount’s
' “Kiss The Girls,” a thriller fea
turing Morgan Freeman as a
vridowed detective with two
children and MGM’s “A Family
Thing,” starring Robert Duvall
and James Earl Jones who -
as adults - discover they are
half brothers.
i
Samuel Jackson will play a
Don King-like character in
“The Great White Hype,” a
boxing spoof from Fox. Eddie
Murphy’s “The Nutty
Professor” hits theaters in
June and Tri-Star is reported-
o m 1 n g
soon:
' That’s the
moniker we see dur
ing intermissions at the movie
theater to entice us with
upcoming attraction.
I’m glad to say that for
Jones
On the home front:
Diahann Carroll, who has
been playing Norma Desmond
in the Toronto production of
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
“Sunset Boulevard” has put
her Beverly Hills area home of
nearly 20 years on the market
at $1.5 million. The 60-year-
old actress-singer, who has
been married nearly 10 years
to singer Vic Damone, is
reportedly leasing a condo in
Canada. The balance of her
time is spent between Palm
Springs and Las Vegas. The
5,100-square feet, contempo
rary-style home features four
bedrooms, offices and staff
quarters with a separate
entrance.
Hats off to Lou Rawls, who
was able to coax millions of
dollars in pledges for the
United Negro College Fund
during his recent “Parade of
Stars” telethon from the famed
Apollo Theatre in New York
City. Unofficial reports reflect
that the telethon raised some
where in the neighborhood of a
record $12.6 million.
By the way; Gregory Hines
has joined the cast of “Trigger
Happy,” a gangster comedy,
with Richard Dreyfuss and
Test Drive
Continued From 3B
' creature comforts - power
everything, wood trim, leather,
high power cassette (which
needs better speakers), auto
transmission, heated mirrors,
heated seats, a huge sunroof
and four-wheel anti-lock
brakes - to make anyone feel
like royalty.
Acura will help Isuzu design
the next Trooper/SLX. Until
then, this one will serve the
name plate proudly.
Burt Reynolds...Vanessa
Williams will sing the national
anthem at the Super Bowl
XXX on Jan. 28 at Sun Devil
Stadium in Tempe,
Our condolences to James
Brown in the recent passing of
his wife Adrienne Brown, who
died just after undergoing cos
metic surgery. Preliminary
autopsy findings showed early
signs of heart disease. The offi
cial cause of death is not
expected for at least two
weeks.
Murphy
ly in development with
“M’Lady,” an African American
version of “My Fair Lady.”
Only this time it’s an Oakland
schoolgirl that is taken under
the wing of a Berkeley profes
sor. In the meantime, bowing
this week at the nation’s box
office is “Don’t Be A Menace to
South Central While Drinking
Your Juice in the Hood,” star
ring Shawn and Marlon
Wayans.
Hines
Ariz....Oprah Winfrey will be
the subject of J. Randy
Tarborelli’s next unaurtho-
rized biography...Bryant
Gumbel has agreed to remain
one more year with NBC’s
“Today Show,” marking his
15th year. That makes him the
longest-sitting anchor in the
show’s history. Gumbel is 47...
n’s never
this clear.
Instead, you’ll hear things like:
“Sorry, we just rented the iast
apartment,’’ 'There are several
applications ahead of you.”
“We seem to have misplaced your
application." Learn the signs of
discrimination and fight back.
The Driving Force Of The 90’s!
/iMYLESS
MMcAR RENTAL
riif lU si Ki pi l 111 I Ik-
Ray Shelton
“Geneial Manager”
“An African American Owned Company’’
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FOR THE 199647
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pi
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