September 19, 1985
Page B8
fljfusical Notes
Musicians sing
for freedom
The international music industry's response tc
South Africa will be a major theme of the 6th Annual
New Music Seminar scheduled for Sept.
25-28 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York
' City.
The apartheid issue will be addressed in-a
keynote speech delivered by Dick Griffrey, chairman
of Solar Record and chairman of the Black
Music Association, on Thursday, Sept. 26, and by
other prominent anti-apartheid advocates, who
will explore the issue in greater depth at a Seminar
panel on Friday.
According to Rick Dutka, moderator of the
panel, "It is our purpose to build on the social
consciousness kindled by 'Live Aid' and all the
famine relief efforts by alerting and educating the
international music community to what is foing
on in South Africa, informing them of the industry's
role in South Africa and what we as the
international music industry can do to help end
apartheid in South Africa. As we sang to feed 'em,
now let's sing for freedom."...
George Clinton has a simple recommendation
for Michael Jackson's flagging career ~ more
plastic surgery.
Clinton, the outspoken leader of ParliamentFunkadelic
explains in the current issue of SPIN
magazine, "Commercials made people dislike
Michael Jackson. Like, they had a contest where
they asked 'Are you getting sick of Michael
Jackson?' But what they really meant was 'Are
you getting sick of his face?' "
Clinton told SPIN that the solution to
Jackson's facial overexposure is very easy.
"Michael needs to change his face again."
And what kind of changes does Clinton have in
mind? Well, he says, how about an "anti-Michael
Jackson look."...
Loose Ends have broken big in Britian with two
top 20 'singles, "Hangin' On A String" and
' "Magic Touch." The band is currently tops on
America's black dance chart and looks set to make
it a trio of hits in Britian with a cover of David
Magazines
Black men on 7
From Gil Noble of New York's WABC-TV and
Robert Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment
Television, to J.J. Jackson of MTV, MBM
Magazine profiles 20 of the nation's most important
and renowed black broadcasters in its
November issue, on newsstands Sept. 19.
"In most major and medium-sized markets Los
Angeles is a glaring exception - black men
have made visible strides in broadcasting, both on
camera and behind the scenes.** writ** fiu/w
Jones, herself a regular on both broadcast and
cable television. And, like Harry Porterfield of
Chicago's WBBM-TV, they overcame great
obstacles in prejudice and competition to get
there.
4'In effect, the black riots in the GOrcfianged the
general media employment practices," says Bill
McCreary, and anchor on "Black News" at
WNEW-TV in New York. "The decision-makers
[fe r-Jose
KoKo PoP e
There's a brand new beat felt it was ju
coming out of Motown and creative musi<
KoKo-PoP's got it. The the new all
sound, sweaty and sexy, is a straight for th
powerful chemistry of kick in everything wc
the pants rock 'n roll and funk The albui
that signals the beginning of - Lonely Boy:
yet another era in the Motown vocative as tl
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ago with the self-titled album, Hutch, Benr
"KoKo-Pop." That album Kerry Ashby,
proved the group to be quite a man's fi
tenacious in stirring up dance- himself, his
floor action across the coun- sexual urges,
try. Even though it met with We take
substantial critical and com- closed door, i
mercial success, the album was men," exp
not up to standards as far as "There are 1c
the group was concerned. men share v
"We were really soft on that that they don
first album ," recalls KoKo- women. Som
PoP leader founder and sax and some of ii
man, Chris Powell. "Even thing we didn
though people told us how album was d
they enjoyed it, and how good into that."
they thought it was, to us, we "Secrets of
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George "Uncle Jam" Clinton: Michael Jackson r
Bowie's "Golden Years." The video is studio
bound and>a>^homage to the British thriller with
a thin tale aboUt\he theft of a few gold bars. ...
George "llrn^ Jam" Clinton has teamed up
with Thomas Dolby for a single entitled "May
The Cube Be With You."
The video from the single is scheduled^tc^j?e^^
-V?
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T: Numbers up but pi
finally realized it was to their advantage to employ
black newsmen."
Today, says Bob Jordan -- anchor/reporter at
WGN-TV in Chicago - race is less a deterrent to
advancement than other subjective factors, such
"You don't have to lose your
blackness to become a broadcaster."
--Derek Hill
as overall appearance and measurable indicators
like ratings. "As with any other field," he
stresses, "broadcasting is rife with politics."
The situation in Los Angels, however, is grimmer.
"It has not been an encouraging experience
for any of us in this town in general," says Larry
xposes secrets on
st the tip of our as provocative musically as it
:al iceberg. With is lyrically. From the haunbum,
we went ting, infectious "Lonely Boy,
e juglar, giving it Lonely Girl," and the fired-up
got." charge of "Sugar Pop,"
n "Secrets of featuring a standing ovation
5" is as pro- guitar performance by Alexanhe
title suggests. dro, to the hot sheets sensation
mtten by group of "Nasty," the album drives
/ell, Eric O'Neal, it all the way home from start
ore and Alexan- to finish. Showing its versatililotown's
Willie ty, the group pays tribute to
ly Medina and Motown of yesterday and toprobe
deep into day with the irresistible
iscination with nrm/fnnlr cruinH nf *' A
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women and his New Beat." Changing moods,
Eric O'Neal's "Foolish
you behind the Heart,** slows the pace, taking
nto the minds of its place among Motown's best
lains Powell. ballads.
>ts of things that KoKo-PoP*s beginnings go
vith other men, back to Powell, who left home
't share with their looking for success in a band
e of it is good, called Nytro, a group of stant
is bad. The only dout horn players. In 1978,
*t get into on the when Nytro's debut album
rugs. We're not was released, Motown had
released Rick James' first *
Lonely Boys" is Please see page B11 m
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released in October. The premise of the video is
that The Cube is a sugar cube with turns you into a
happy person. ...
George Miller, director of the "Mad Max"
movies including "Beyond Thunderdome," liked
working with Tina Turner so much that he has
Please see page B11
roblems still exist
Carroll, a live-action anchor/reporter at KABCTV
who has yet to anchor the important 4, 5 and 6
p.m. newscasts. "Some have been resigned to the
fact that they're not going to make it to the top no
matter how talented they are."
Carroll believes that there will be no significant
improvement in the number of blacks in the electronic
media until "the black community does
something about it."
William Campbell, editorial director at
Chicago's WLS-TV, says that "we often feel that
we have to do better than our counterparts. We
have to perform in an exemplary fashion to our
peers and perhaps reap fewer material rewards.M
But as Chicago's "Commmon Ground" host
Derek Hill puts it, "You don't have to lose your
blackness when you become a broadcaster. We
can help television stations increase their sensitiviPlease
see page B11
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The arts, television,
reviews and columns.
ftroadwav Is Mv Beat
Mr.T in trouble
By JOEY SASSO
Syndicated Columnist
Mr. T flexed his muscles ? but A-Team producers
didn't flinch. The sneering gold-bedecked
star staged a six-month mutiny that began on the
cruisc ship Tropicalc during filming of the twohour
opening episode of the series* new seasor*
Insiders say Mr. T launched his revolt when he
found A-Team crew members seated at the ship's
table he thought was reserved for himself and his
bodyguards. He not onlv demanded that th?v >v?
removed ? he also insisted that they be fired.
When producer David Hemmings refused, Mr. T
and his entourage huffed ashore the next day at
Mazatlan, Mexico, with shooting incomplete.
14We were able to shoot around him for the rest
of the cruise," says a spokesman for Stephen Cannell,
executive producer of The A-Team.
Insiders said that A-Team bosses made some
serious threats about what might happen if he did
not reappear pronto. One source says: "Mr. T has
gotten a little too big for his boots."
George Peppard, Dick Benedict and everyone
else on the set is furious with him.
"This kind of behavior had gone on too long,"
say A-Team insiders. "The first day on the set, he
arrived a half-day late and didn't know his lines.
He's been pulling all kinds of little pranks for over
a year. He regularly shows up five to 10 minutes
late for a scene. He also hates showing up before
Peppard, who is the star. It's as if he waits in his
trailer until he sees Peppard walk out."
Showbiz industry insiders say Mr. T will pay a
heavy price for his petulant behavior.
"All these marks are going against him, but
they won't really count until the series ends and he
tries tO Bet work on another nn* " an irtcirUr
w -W-. mmmm-^rwrnrn^rn vaavf Mil IliaiUVl
claims. "His reputation as a troublemaker is wellknown.
Series in the past have undergone star
changes and been successful. If he doesn't shape
up, they may start phasing him out....
It's not easy for a guy like Prince to go shopping
in a place like Manhattan.
So when he went-out the other day, his
purpleness had on the perfect disguise - he was
clad in all yellow. Down he and two husky
bodyguards pranced to NoHo's Antique Boutique
to peek at some old clothes with character. One
look at the newest rack and bingo! Prince spotted
something he just had to have. A full-length 40s
dressing robe* with a mink collar.
Just as he tried it on, a clutch of fans, who were
not fooled by the yellow outfit, descended on the
store. His purpleness panicked, danced out of the
store, leaped into a waiting limo and sped away
still clad in the rob. A few minutes later, one of
the bodyguards returned and forked over $650 for
the frock.
After all, honesty is the best policy, even for a
Prince....
"Dynasty" beauty Diahann Carroll will spice
up the already-sizzling series this fall with a sensational
inter-racial love affair.
Dusky Diahann, who plays Dominique
Deveraux, will become involved in a steamy
romance witn Diond-haired Ken Howard, former
star of "The White Shadow." Diahann is
delighted with the controversial new storyline, and
a studio insider reveals: 41 'Dynasty* executives
feel this inter-racial romance will send the ratings
through the roof."
:h each other
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( usher in a new era for the Motown sound.