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3B LIFE/ Zit Ctsrlotte Thursday, May 27, 2004 I Summer fruits, vegetables are good - and good for you Continued from page 1B color to salads, ice cream and other snacks. Melons, which come in many shapes and are comprised mostly of water, are also popular in the summer. Honeydew is a bright yellow melon that is very sweet and juicy. Galia is a green melon that is ideal for sweet and savory dishes. Cantaloupes are good for sorbets and desserts. Watermelons are also great fruits for cook- outs and other summer gatherings. Some people have special ways of picking watermelon. “I never really thought about how I pick my watermelon but I do know I like my watermelon with no spots,” said Jeff Jacobs of Charlotte. On the other hand, his co-worker Chris Stewart said, “When I pick my watermelon I thump it to see if it’s hollow.” Along with fruits come vibrant veggies. “During the summer I sell a lot of peach es and tomatoes,” said Jason Stone who sales fruits and vegetables at a farmers market on Trade Street. Another summer favorite is bell peppers, which come in many different colors and make lively salsas when blended together. Tomatoes are also great for summer eat ing. For a convenient treat, slice it, sprin kle lightly with salt and pepper, add fresh basil and olive oil. Vegetables will also keep your body in good physical shape. A study conducted by University of Washington researchers showed that men who eat three or more servings of vegeta bles a day had a 48 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who eat fewer than one serving a day. Sweet corn, asparagus, squash, and okra are also great fruits that can keep your body healthy and in shape for the summer. End of Showtime’s ‘Soul Food’ leaves no black dramas on television THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES- The fifth and final season of televi sion’s longest-running black drama, Showtime’s “Soul Food,” is serving up its last episode, leaving behind an uncertain future for the genre. Based on the 1997 hit film of the same name, the multi- generational saga of one Chicago family has been one of Showtime’s most popular series, making stars out of Vanessa Williams (not the former Miss America), Nicole Ari Parker and others. Fans held “Soul Food” view ing parties and the show’s official, Web ,site , amassed over 10,6(30 hits Sally But after the finale airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. EDT, there will be no significant black dramas left on the air. §0 why is “Soul Food” end ing now? Showtime decided it was best “to go out on top with high ratings and high-quahty storytelling,” said series exec utive producer Tracey Edmonds, although increas ing production costs might have been a factor. Yet Edmonds said the story fine will be left “open-ended enough” so that another net work could revive the series if it wanted to. “This show speaks to its audience on a personal level, especially in the African- American culture. That’s because we have African- Americans writing for these characters, African- Americans directing episodes, reflecting their true lives and lifestyles.” While it never came close to being as big a cable deal as something like “The Sopranos,” the NAACP Image award-winning series marked a turning point, said Ron Simon, curator for the Museum of Tfelevision and Radio in New York. “Soul Food’ represents the beginning steps of trying to answer the question: How do you deal with the new Afiican- American reality on televi sion?” he said. “Its not dealing with stereotypes and the way (white people) think things are. It just shows the great poten tial of Afncan-American drama on television.” And for that, said RocheU Thomas, an associate editor at TV Guide, “Soul Food” deserves more credit from those who’ve dismissed it as a mere movie spin-off. “The fact that it worked is what matters,” said Thomas, adding, “m general, dramas are having a hard time right now if they aren’t law or cop shows. It’s just that no one is willing to give a black drama a chance.” She and others attribute this to an attitude among TV On the Net: www.sho.com/site/soulfood/ Showtime's ‘Soul Food’ was one of the most suc cessful black dramas on TV. Accidenfally executing innocent people is the price society has to pay for justice. Ht WOULDN'T SAY THAT, SO WHY WOULD YOU? North Carolina currently has 190 prisoners sitting on death row. For every seven executed, another is found innocent. Don’t let a North Carolinian be executed for a crime they didn't commit. Take action now, go to www.ncmoratorium.org. executives that black dramas don’t sell weU in national syn dication and overseas-mar kets where television shows typically make much of their profits. Showtime President Robert Greenblatt, whose network is developing two new black dramas, said that argument is erroneous “until networks and studios have enough shows to reaUy amass some real research on that.” “Tb not access those charac ters and that culture in a dra matic form is just stupid,” he said. Todd Boyd, professor of use’s School of Cinema and Television, questioned whether today’s benchmark of black success on television should be drama. “Looking at the broad spec- tnun of television, there’s a different image you get, and in many cases black people have infiltrated spaces that are prominent and visible. It may not be dramas, but there is a certain visibihty” Boyd said. But the reahty of network television is that it is driven more by profits than social consciousness, so unless an “ethnic” show has crossover appeal to a wider audience, it wiU never achieve true hit status. “Soul Food” did well enough for a pay-cable program, but it was never able to attract a significant white audience and therefore would not have been considered successful on a broadcast network. ‘You have to appeal to blacks and whites in the audience,” said historian I'm Brooks, “and the black audi ence isn’t big enough if whites won’t watch, too. Whites certainly will watch black shows if they don’t feel excluded by it.” “That may be part of it,” said director Paris Barclay, who was an executive pro ducer on CBS’ defunct black serial, “City of Angles.” “But even if you have a show iden tified as a black show, just from the title, ‘Soul Food,’ white people don’t want to sample it.” Dee LaDuke, author of “Making Great Television,” agrees. She noted that white shows have become part of the “normal TV viewing experience” for black viewers, “but white people don’t them selves make (black shows) a first choice. Convincing the broadcast networks that these lives are as rich and sexy, tragic and ftumy as any that have succeeded on tele vision ... is the next step for the reflection of race on tele- Save Sunday, May 23-Saturday, May 29 the ultimate gear for backyard play all gas grills over ^249 Absolute 0%" until November 2004 with your Sears card-others defer interest, we eliminate it. 0% finance untt November 2C04 on an gas grtls over $249 when you use your Sears card. See bekm tx rnporbntOS iTiancrig delais Offer ends May 29. Bcijiles cutet stores. Our Kenmore wWe body gas grill cart is designed to be sturdy and stable. #16212 save $30 Tank sole separately. Utensils not included. Gas gris require some assembly. Plus save 25% on all grill accessories Endudes Weber accessories and Great Mce tetiQ. 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The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 27, 2004, edition 1
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