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SEP o6 ?0n3THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2003
1D Arts i Entertainment
Art & Soul,
and fashion
By Cheris F. Hodges
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Fashion and art have
always gone hand and
hand.
At this year’s Art and
Soul Block Party in
South Charlotte, the
Art Institute of Char
lotte and Goodwill are
joining forces to show
festivalgoers that it
doesn,t take a lot of
money to dress like a
million bucks.
“We’re trying to show
people that you can find
very trendy clothes in
our stores,” said Bruce
Lawrence, regional
marketing specialist for
Goodwill Industries.
The fashion shows,
which will feature mod
els from the Art Insti
tute of Charlotte, will
showcase the latest
fashion trends and all of
the clothes will come
from Goodwill stores in
the Charlotte area.
Lawrence said the show
will have the feel the
New York Fashion Week
shows. They will run in
30-minute stretches
during the one-day festi
val, which is set for Oct.
4.”
The biggest thing we
want to do is showcase
our clothes in a new
light,” he said. “We have
incredible clothes at our
stores.%0
Students from the Art
Institute of Charlotte
have been working with
GoodvriU Industries as
interns, gaining real
world experience about
marketing and other
tools they learn about in
the classroom, said
Please see ART/2D
Sales of rapper’s
Timp Juice’ strong
despite boycott
By Jeff Latzke
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS-A boycott
by several civil rights
groups doesn’t appear to
be affecting the sales of
rapper Nelly’s new ener
gy drink with a name
activists consider dis
tasteful: Pimp Juice.
Project Islamic Hope, a
Los Angeles-based
activist group led by
Najee Ali, has encour
aged consumers to boy
cott the drink and stores
that sell it because of the
negative meaning the
word “pimp” carries.
Several other groups
have joined the fight.
The neon green, berry-
flavored drink was dis
tributed last month to
markets in Missouri,
Illinois, Florida, Wash
ington, Oregon, Alaska
and Nevada. A nation
wide launch is planned
for November, spokes
woman Juliette Harris
says. So far, she says,
sales have gone weU.
“We are completely
sold out and back
ordered and looking to
get it back on shelves in
October,” Harris says.
“If you wanted a can, I
couldn’t get you one
right now.”
Harris says Nelly
does not intend for peo
ple to think of the word
pimp with its literal def
inition, but with modi
fied, pop-culture mean
ing.
“He has never glori
fied pimping in a literal
term,” Harris says. .
In his song “Pimp
Juice,” Nelly explains it
this way: “Now your
pimp juice is anything,
attract the opposite sex;
it could be money, fame
or straight intellect.”
Ali calls that argu
ment siUy.
‘The word pimp has
an association in the
minds of millions of peo
ple with one thing—and
that’s to exploit
women,” Ali says.
Ali says Nelly should
change the drink’s
Please see PII\/IP/2D
Caribbean House will present
Fantastic
A Caribbean Music Production
will be held at Great Aunt Stella
Theatre at 926 Elizabeth
Avenue.
Sugar Aloes and The Charlotte
Caribbean Steel Orchestra will
perform at 7:30 pm.
^•Ol
‘The Fighting Temptations’ has
its share of good moments
By Artellia Burch
artellia.biirch@rhecharlotleposi.com
Take a little bit of humor, throw in a light
hearted storyline, mix in some soul-thrunping
music and top it off with one of the best actors
in the business and you have “The Fighting
Ifemptations.”
The creators didn’t attempt to solve all the
ills of the world in one script. It simply relayed
the message that genuine love, compassion
and forgiveness are enough to change lives
and situations.
Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the compulsive
liar Darrin Hill, who has spent his time and
energy into maintaining a life of deception.
Just when things begin to catch up with Hill,
he is notified of his aunt’s death. Upon receiv
ing his inheritance Hill must form a gospel
choir at the same church his mother had been
ostracized.
Hill’s love interest is Lily, a young single
parent played by none other than the Gram-
my-award winning singer Beyonce Knowles.
Hill lies and fights opposition from the pas
tor’s sister as he attempts to form a choir that
can -win the Gospel Explosion
The humor of Mike Epps and inspiring
gospel music is just what’s needed to fill the
void from the slightly above average story.
Plus cameos from artist like Shirley Caesar,
Faith Evans and Ann Nesby help pacify view
ers.
“The Fighting Tbmptations”’ music satisfies
the old-school and new-school taste.
'The music selection for Knowles was per
fect. And whoever came up the idea of adding
the O’Jays to this movie deserves a raise.
'The smoothe trio harmonious melodies
made me reminiscent of days of old.
I applaud the producers of this film for
not relying on Knowles to be a great
actress. 'The responsibility for this movie
definitely was laid on the shoulders of
Gooding and he did a great job.
'The all-star cast including heavyweights
like Steve Harvey, Gooding, Knowles and
Epps are enough for the price of addition.
C^eraU “The Fighting Temptations” was
a decent movie. It’s great for a date and
perfect for the family.
On a scale of 5, I give “The Fighting
'Ifemptations” a three.
“The Fighting
Temptations”
opened nation
wide last week.
The movie
was filled with
cameos by
musicians like
Shirley Caesar,
Ann Nesby
and LaTanya
Richardson.
The movie also
starred Cuba
Gooding Jr.
and Beyonce
Knowles.
PHOTOS/DAVID LEE
‘The Blues’ shows artistry and passion
By Herbert L. white
herb.white@thecharIottepost.com
WTVI is kicking off fall with a
taste of “The Blues.”
The documentary ’will lead
WTVI’s fall season beginning on
Sunday. In what is being billed
as a Blues Tblevision Festival,
WTVI will air the series over
seven nights at 9p.m., beginning
with Martin Scorsese’s film,
“Feel Like Going Home” and con
cluding with Clint Eastwood’s
“Piano Blues,” on Oct. 4.
“The Blues” consists of seven
films that capture the essence of
the blues while exploring how
the art form influenced people
the world over.
Alex Gibney, the series’ produc
er, said: “Through the artistry
and passion of these filmmakers,
‘The Blues’ hopes to link the pre
sent and the past by engaging a
new generation of viewers and
listeners to seek out the music in
clubs, festivals and concerts,
even as they look back—through
books, CDs and archival
images—at the origins of the
blues. In this way, ‘The Blues’
will not be the last word on the
subject; it wiU be the ‘first word’
of a new, more free-wheeling con-
Pjease see D0CUMENTARY/3D
Winfred Cross
bounds
Aretha Franklin
So Damn Happy
Various producers
Arista Records
It’s been 23 years since Aretha
debuted on Arista Records for the
third part of her career. I stiU
fondly remember “Aretha,” which
gave us “United Tbgether” and
the funky, funky cover of the Doo-
bie Brothers’ “What A Fool
Believes.” The woman stiH had a
volcano for a voice that could
move earth.
Things have changed a lot since.
Aretha’s voice has diminished
nearly as mudi as her listening
audience. Fifty-year-old women
aren’t the order of the day at
urban radio. But FU give her cred
it: she’s trying hard to make that
fact not so. “So Damn Happy” isn’t
her best work, but it’s still good
work. “The Only Thing That’s
Missing” should teU aU that she
can hang with the young folk and
teach them a thing or two. ‘Won
derful” is a great cross between
old and new school. The title song
is pure old school.
There are othfer moments
when this recording hits stride.
“Eveiydodys Somebody’s Fool”
is what the doctors (Jam &
Lewis) ordered. It’s the kind of
song Aretha would have lolled
a decade ago. She still gives the
song what it needs. That’s
where this CD succeeds.
Aretha isn’t trying to sing as
she did in the past. She’s work
ing with what she has. And
she’s stiH her own best produc
er. “So Damn Happy” and “You
Are My Joy” are the kinds of
songs she needs to sing.
There are a couple of contri
butions by Mary J. Blige and a
few other folks to keep Aretha
sounding young, but its the
stuff aimed at older listeners
that really suceeds. The queen
is still holding court, even if its
a smaller kingdom. She’ll
always be a queen to me.
Ratings
Classic; >> .
Excellent;
Good
Fair
Why?
No stars-Amess
13
i: 12
12 12
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