http://www.thecharlottepost.com
tE'lft Cfiarlotte $0!St
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2006
D The latest edition
Section
New Edition still making music, but philanthropy is important, too
PHOTOS/WADE NASH
New Edition ceiebrates over 20 years in the industry by starting the New Edition Foundation to give back to kids.
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hoctges'SffiechartoMepos/.corr
Not many groups can
seE out shows when they
don’t have a sii^e on the
airwaves-
Then again, not too
many groups are New
Edition.
Twenty-three years ago
they burst on the. scene
with the bubble gum pop
sounds of “Candy Girl,”
“Popcorn Love,” and “Is
This The End.” Now aU
grown up, the men of New
Edition are still making
mixsic and a difference.
Last week in Columbia,
S.C-, they announced the
creation of The New Edi
tion Foxmdation.
“For the last 23 plus
years, we’ve been able to
make a living and travel
the world. Eight now it’s
all about touching com
munities,” said Ronnie
DeVoe. “We grew up in the
projects of Boston, Massa-
chiasetts, and if it wasn’t
for things hke free lunch
es and the Boys and Girls’
Club, we’d probably be
knocking each other
upside the heed.”
DeVoe said the foimda-
tion would keep programs
like those that helped
them in the communities
where they are needed.
“There are so many peo
ple that helped us get to
where we are and we’re
going to make sure that
we put ourselves in a posi
tion to give back,” said
Ralph Tfresvant.
Bobby Brown chimed in
saying that, ‘We’ve been
able to do this on friend
ship and true love and we
don’t want people to think
that wh«^ we came from
is a bad place to grow up.
We just need something
positive behind these
kids.”
Don’t think NE has
given up music for charity.
They’re still performing
and recording on Bad Boy
Records.
We love Pu^ (Combs),”
Michael Bivins said before
their show Saturday in
Columbia. While they'
haven’t recorded a new
album since 2004, New
Edition fans still show up
to see the group clutching
albums-yes, the vinyl
ones-and screamit^ as if
the^re still teenagers.
Kimm Hunter, who
attended a private lun
cheon with the group, said
she’s been a fan from the
beginnir^.
“I’ve always admired
their style and their
enthusiasm and their per
formance,” she said.
Hunter said the first time
she saw New Edition per-
forrh she was a college
student. As an older adult,
she was more than excited
to see them again
Bivins said people aren’t
as excited about today’s
music.
“Are people going to
cherish the record they
bought last summar for 23
years? Back then we were
probably like the only
yoimg group for the young
black females and the
Please see NEW/2D
Igunnuko back from hiatus with aitistic lineup
By April Turner
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Igunnuko is back and
stror^r than ever.
The festival began in Char
lotte nine years ago to pro
mote community and togeth
erness. For years, many in
the black community have
looked forward to the danc
ing, drumming, eating and
singing that transform Fra
zier Park into an African cele
bration ground.
After a two-year hiatus and
a little restructuring last year,
festival chairman, Obakunle
Akmlana says that this year’s
Igunnuko celebration has
something for the entire com
munity to enjoy
“This festival is for the peo
ple, by the people. There is
something for everybody at
Igunnuko.”
In addition to traditional
Igunnuko features like the
African Marketplace and the
Children’s Educational "Vil
lage, this year’s festival
includes a Spoken Word Cafe
headlined by poet-activist,
Sonia Sanchez.
Akinlana says he made a
special effort to bring Sanchez
to Charlotte because he
believes her words can help
address a need in Charlotte’s
black community
“I have always been an
admirer of Sonia Sanchez,
her strer^th, her puipose, her
poetry I had the pleasure of
being on the same program
with her at a festival in Tfen-
nessee. "When I saw her pre
sentation I said, ‘Charlotte
needs this.” She articulates
the essence of our theme. We
Need Each Other,” Akinlana
said.
“Sonia Sanchez is in tune
with the needs of our people.
She brings a practical, inspir
ing message that writers,
leaders, professionals, par
ents, everybody can draw
fix)m.”
Akinlana said he hopes
Charlotte will embrace the
festival’s We Need Each Other
theme.
“I think when you look at
the African American commu
nity worldwide often times we
put a lot of divisive politics,
religions, isms and schisms
between us when really we
are one people and cannot
afford to be divided,” he said.
“Everyone has needs and
everyone has assets they can
give. Everyone in our commu
nity is important. Elders give
wisdom, young people provide
strength, on down the line.
Everybody has something to
give. We need everybody”
Another new highlight of
the festival this year is Elders
Day On Sunday dance lumi
nary Chuck Davis and his
African American Dance
Ensemble wHl perform , a
dance tribute to all of the
elders in the commxmity
“We want aU of the elders to
come spend the day with us,
relax and show off their
grandchildren. Elders are our
heroes. We wouldn't be where
we are today without their
contributions and sacrifices,”
Akinlana said.
In another Igunnuko first,
blues singer‘Betty Pride will
laimch her new CD during
her Saturday performance at
the festival. Akinlana sa}^
Charlotte should be Kicited
about Pride’s work in the
blues arena.
“She is the hidden treasure
Please see 1GUNNUKO/2D
GALLERY REVIEW -
School daze: McCoU exhibit of juried collegiate art
McCOLL CENTER FOR THE ARTS
By Sandy Seawright
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Launched.’ First N. C.
Undergraduate Juried
Exhibition
McColl Center for the
Visual Arts
721 North Tr/on St
This show of five stu
dent artists selected firom
30 entrants by noted
abstract painter Grace
Hartigan has an earnest
ness about it that makes
looking at the exhibit a
serious proposition with
out much fim or spontane
ity. However, there are
visual rewards.
In their development.
college students may be
ambitious but probably
haven’t been at their art
long enough to relax and
let the viewer relax with
them.
Congratulations to
UNC-Charlotte, which
had two students selected.
Shelly Sloan Lineberger
makes very ambitious
abstract stoneware sculp
tures using military cam
ouflage colors of green and
brown with orange added.
In “High Way,” it feels like
Lineberger is really find
ing her own vision. This
sculpture gave me plea
sure — especially looking
at it fium the west side of
the gallery It is risk tak
ing with imexpected clay
elements. It appears to
have a three dimensional
orange and green road
shaped form which is
echoed by a neutral-col
ored, raked path.
Erich J. Moffett of UNC-
Charlotte has majestic
■and mythic visions of god
like people in isolated
nature settings ej^ressed
in graphite and charcoal.
His drawings such as
“The Fisherman and His
Soul” savor joy and love.
In a artists statement on
the wall Moffett says, “I
OutKast’s meandering ‘Idlewild’ little more than long video
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hodgesSThechorfoffepos/.cofT)
I’ve always loved OutKast,
fium their first album, South-
emplayhsticcadillacmuzik to
the phenomenal Speaker-
boxx/The Love Below. So I
wanted to love their first
movie, ‘Idlewild.”
I didn’t. Directed by Bryan
Barber, who directed the
“Roses” video, “Idlewild”
played like a two-hom video.
There was a lot of dancing,
rapping and Matrix-hke cam
era work.
That would be fine if
“Idlewild” was set in the 21st
• century, but its supposed to
be about a 1930s southern
speakeasy in Idlewild, Geor
gia.
Andre Benjamin (Andre
3000) plays meek and mild
Percival, a shy piano player
who has a song but no one
wants to hear it.
Antwan Patton (Big Boi)
plays Rooster, the flashy rap
per and club owner. When
Tferrance Howard’s gangster
character 'lYumpy kOls the
club ovmer Sunshine and
Rooster’s uncle Spats, Rooster
assumes the club and its
debts. Then all kinds of wild
ness unfolds as well as people
breaking out into soi^ at the
drop of a hat.
I’m all for musicals. Some of
my favorite movies are musi
cals, “Rent,” “The Wvz” and
“The "TOzard of Oz” to name a
few. But the rapping doesn’t
fit the time period. Its not as
if they were new songs, either.
Big Boi did so many songs
fium Speakerboxx that it did-
TV show
has new
hve on
DVD
Threshold
Charles S. Dutton, Brent Spiner,
Carla Gugino and Robert Patrick
Benedict
Paramount Home \ddeo
Three-disc set
CBS pTinked out with
“Threshold,” pulling the plug
before aH the episodes were
broadcast.
Tbo bad. “Threshold” was
well-written and acted. It was
part of a host of alioi-inva-
sion based television show,
many of which didn’t make
the cut, either.
Like ABC’s “Invasion,”
CBS’s “Threshold” was a
gamble. “Lost’ was a hioge
success, but has hints of the
supernatural, not aliens.
Maybe both networks
thoi^t this was the next log
ical step.
An5/way, “Threshold’s”
premise was great. Ahens
land on Earth in the Atlantic
Ocean, or at least an alien
probe. The U.S. government
has a contingency plan for
such an event and springs
into action A motley group is
assembled to investigate
becomes infected by what
seems to be a five-dimension
al olfject. Some people die,
others develop super strength
and other strange abilities.
AU share the same dreams
about the ahen race that
plans to change human DNA
into their own.
It seemed to be a simple
enou^ plot to puU in mil
lions, but America didn’t bite,
nor did it have a taste for
ABC’s even better “Invasion.”
Maybe they canceled each
other out.
Charles S. Dutton, Brait
'Spiner and Carla Gugino are
part of the great cast and do a
fine job over the 12 episodes.
Some were never aired so
fans of the show are in for a
treat. There’s also a lot of
bonus material, including a
four-part documentary, delet
ed scenes and commentaries.
Thankfully CBS had the
sense to release this fine
series on DVD. I was hoping
the Sci-Fi channel or another
network would pick it up but
that doesn’t look promisitg.
Oh weU, these episodes wUl
have to do for now. And I can
always watch the excdlent
“4400” on USA.
am a firm believer in the
human act of capturing
one’s joy for later exami
nation.”
HoUin Norwood of N. C.
State University has cre
ated machine embroi
dered Middle Eastern fig
ures festooned in pink and
blue. His figures look hke
they are right off the Paris
fashion runway instead of
being affected by the war
in Iraq.
Rfichael Triplet of UNC-
Greensboro has color pho
tographs of musicians
who supported him when
he had aseptic m^iingitis
Please see LAUNCHED/2D
n’t make much sense to me.
However, it did reveal that
not too many people listened
to that disc because the folks I
saw the movie with didn’t
seem to know those songs, but
I digress.
I expected OutKast to put
their ovm spin on 1930s
music, kind of like they did on
the soundtrack. WeU, they
Please see iDLEWILD/2D
Ratings
Classic;
Excellent;
ix is is is
Good
is.i!is
Fair
is is
Why?
is
No stars
-A mess
lO