GUMBO FEST 2007 - A REVIEW by D.L. Norris

"Is that Dr. Vernell Lillie doing her thing on the dance floor to the jazzy tunes of Jimmy Sapienza's Five Guys Named Moe", I asked my husband. I asked this question as my mouth watered with anticipation for our first serving of gumbo. We were in attendance at the Afro-American Music Institutes Gumbo buffet fundraiser held this past Sunday afternoon at 4 PM. As Gumbo lovers and a preparer of gumbo myself, I thought I was at one of my favorite spots in New Orleans or an old family gathering enjoying a nice hot bowl of gumbo- this gumbo was stuffed with crab legs, large shrimp, hot links, chicken, okra, rice and all in a rich spicy savory broth of rue browned to perfection. The AAMI gumbo was the real deal, not some watered down imitation version.

For those who were not there, I have one thing to say to you, " You missed it!". Plan now to attend their next Gumbo buffet fundraiser next year. Or better yet, make a donation to this wonderful musical establishment, founded by Dr. James Johnson and his lovely vivacious wife, Pamela. This year, media personalities Katrina Owens, reporter for WPXI-TV and Vince Simms also of WPXI-TV were master of ceremony. Don Patterson, AAMI Marketing Director, was the perfect greeter and made you feel welcomed and appreciated for attending. There were a host of community notables in attendance, including web-mistress, Donna Baxter from the Soul Pitt.

The AAMI began in 1982 as a proprietary venture. However to facilitate expansion and include youth from families of limited income, creative fund-raising was initiated to promote program growth and to provide scholarships. In June 1992, the Institute was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. AAMI received its federal nonprofit was initiated 501(c) 3 status in March 1993. To make a donation or for more information, visit www.aamipittsburgh.org or call 412 241-6775

Another non-profit event that took place this past week was the N.E.E.D.Benefit dinner, Sylvester Pace, Executive Director. The Negro Education Emergency Drive is a wonderful organization that assist our children to attend college by defraying a portion of the cost for books, supplies and equipment for college. In some cases, talented children have even been provided lap top computers plus financial scholarship. Although I missed last weeks dinner due to an obligation out of town, this organization is a most worthy cause and is also a 501 (c) 3 and work investing into. For more information regarding N.E.E.D. and all the fantastic edifying, educational and enriching programs and scholarships they offer or to make a donation, please go to: http://www.needld.org/ or call N.E.E.D. directly at 412-566-2760.

38th NAACP Image Awards by Kam Williams

Image Awards Upstaged by Resignation of NAACP President

Judging by the 38th Annual NAACP Image Awards which aired on Fox last Friday, it appeared that the organization was really getting its act together. First of all, the show was broadcast live for the first time, as opposed to pre-recorded, which had always been the case in the past.
More importantly, virtually every aspect of the program, from its host, LL Cool J, to the presenters to the performers to the awardees, carried themselves with a notable dignity and grace, almost as if class had been planned as the prevailing theme. And perhaps most significantly, the choices of winners reflected an understanding that the Image Awards is not supposed to be a popularity contest but an opportunity to reward those individuals in the arts who have exhibited the most dedication to alleviating social problems and to challenging harmful stereotypes.

This year, there were no blatantly embarrassing moments such as the time when Barbershop, a film which belittled the achievements of both Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, landed the most nominations. The only questionable winner was actor Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy), given his recent homophobic remarks which he has since recanted. At least, in his acceptance speech, he thanked Jasmyne Cannick, the lesbian activist who had come to his defense in her syndicated column.

Also in attendance and taking home trophies were Oscar-winners Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), along with 40 or so other lucky luminaries. (See complete list below) Honorary awards went to CNN News Anchor Soledad O’Brien, Comedian Bill Cosby and Bono, who brought the house down with an emotional plea for aid for the children of Africa.

The Cos was surprisingly subdued by comparison, given his recent penchant for stirring the waters with caustic comments about the state of African-American culture. Ms. O’Brien, who was quite touching in her reflecting about her roots, her family, and the arc of her career, was handed her award by actress Kerry Washington and NAACP President Bruce Gordon.
This latter factoid has suddenly become noteworthy, because Mr. Gordon, 61, announced his resignation the Sunday after the show, after serving only 19 months, citing irreconcilable differences with his board of directors. “I believe that any organization that's going to be effective will only be effective if the board and the CEO are aligned and I don't think we are aligned," he admitted.

His reign had been marked by controversy from the start, because he came to the job with no civil rights background, but rather with an impressive corporate resume’ as a captain of industry in the telecommunications industry. As for lessons, Gordon stated that "What I've clearly learned in my tenure here is that all is not well in black America, that's for sure.”
And despite the best Image Awards show ever, all is apparently not well with the NAACP, either, since its board members were reportedly caught by surprise by the announcement. Now they must start a fresh search for a chief executive to stabilize an organization struggling to stay relevant in the face of suggestions that it might have outlived its usefulness.

COMPLETE LIST OF NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNERS

MOVIES:

Motion picture: "The Pursuit of Happyness."
Actor in a motion picture: Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland."
Actress in a motion picture: Keke Palmer, "Akeelah and the Bee."
Supporting actor in a motion picture: Djimon Hounsou, "Blood Diamond."
Supporting actress in a motion picture: Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls."
Independent or Foreign Film: "An Inconvenient Truth."
Director of motion picture, television movie: Spike Lee, "The Inside Man."
Writing for motion picture, television movie: Doug Atchison, "Akeelah and the Bee."

TELEVISION

Comedy series: "Ugly Betty"
Director of comedy series: "Kenneth Whittingham, "The Office."
Actor in a comedy series: Tyler James Williams, "Everybody Hates Chris."
Actress in a comedy series: Tracee Ellis Ross, "Girlfriends."
Supporting actor in a comedy series: Reggie Hayes, "Girlfriends"
Supporting actress in a comedy series: Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"
Writing in comedy series: Silvio Horta, "Ugly Betty."
Drama Series: "Grey's Anatomy"
Director of drama series: Karen Gaviola, "The Whole Truth."
Actor in a drama series: Isaiah Washington. "Grey's Anatomy"
Actress in drama series: Kimberly Elise, "Close to Home."
Supporting actor in a drama series: Omar Epps, "House."
Supporting actress in a drama series: Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"
Writing in drama series: Shonda Rhimes, "Grey's Anatomy," "It's the End of the World."
TV movie, miniseries, or dramatic special: "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts."
Actor in a TV movie, miniseries or dramatic special: Kadeem Hardison, "Life is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story."
Actress in a TV movie, miniseries or dramatic special: Sophie Okonedo, "Tsunami, The Aftermath."
Actor in a daytime drama series: Kristoff St. John, "The Young and the Restless."
Actress in a daytime drama series: Tracy Ross, "Passions."
News, talk or information, series or special: Tavis Smiley, "Katrina--One Year Later."
Reality: "American Idol."
Variety series or special: "An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder."
Children's Program: "That's So Raven"
Outstanding Performance, Children's Program: Raven Symone. "That's So Raven"

MUSIC

New artist: Corinne Bailey Rae.
Male artist: Prince
Female artist: Mary J. Blige.
Duo or group: The Roots.
Jazz artist: Glady Knight.
Gospel artist, traditional or contemporary: Kirk Franklin.
Music video: Mary J. Blige, "Be Without You."
Song: "I Am Not My Hair," India.Arie.
Album: "Dreamgirls" (Soundtrack)

LITERATURE

Literary work, fiction: "Baby Brother's Blues," Pearl Cleage.
Literary work, nonfiction: "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," Barack Obama.
Debut author: "Letters to a Young Brother," Hill Harper.
Biography, autobiography: "The Pursuit of Happyness," Christ Gardner.
Instructional: "Mama Made The Difference," T.D. Jakes.
Poetry: "Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer," Maya Angelou.
Children: "Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom," Carole Boston Weatherford.
Youth/teens: "Letters to a Young Brother," Hill Harper.

Diary of a Tired Black Man, Film Review by Kam Williams

Brow-Beaten Brother Gets Even in Thought-Provoking Melodrama

In recent years, numerous revenge-themed Hollywood adventures have seemed to take a certain delight in portraying black men as unreliable womanizers undeserving of any respect, like the sort of losers always airing their dirty linen any day of the week on The Jerry Springer Show. From Waiting to Exhale to Two Can Play That Game to Diary of a Mad Black Woman, these female empowerment flicks have generally left brothers not only brow-beaten but in need of an image overhaul.

Now, help has arrived in Diary of a Tired Black Man, a fascinating half-documentary-half melodrama which marks the directorial debut of Tim Alexander. A little over a year ago, you may remember how Alexander generated a phenomenal air of anticipation about this controversial picture merely by making the trailer available over the internet.

That three-minute teaser captured the explosion of James (Jimmy Jean-Louis) who was frustrated about being dogged by his ex-wife, Tanya (Paula Lema), and her girlfriends because he showed up with a white woman to pick up his daughter during a custody exchange. Without reacting to their attack, he calmly pauses to address Tanya and her Amen chorus of supporters. Speaking in a measured tone of voice, he gets the last word, letting them know that he had been, and still is, an excellent though unappreciated provider.

The full-length feature opens with this same scene, but rather than proceed with the rest of the modern morality play immediately thereafter, the ingenious director came up with a brilliant cinematic device which only heightens the already palpable tension. He freezes the action after this point of departure (and again periodically throughout the picture) for revealing man-in-the-street interviews featuring fan reaction to the commercial, comments culled from footage he shot while crisscrossing the country with a hand-held camera.

So, essentially half of what we see onscreen is an intriguing documentary of everyday folks from all walks of life, both male and female, weighing-in on the battle-of-the-sexes. And these remarks, ranging from the profane to the profound and from the silly to the sobering, prove to be every bit as telling as the fictional front story.

For instance, a young woman quick to question whether there are any good black men out there refers to the married guy she dated for two years as “typical “and an “effed-up, trifling-ass Negro.” Yet, when asked why she even entered such an ill-fated, illicit liaison in the first place, her only answer is that she “fell in love,” leaving the audience to conclude that she’s just as much to blame for her lot in life as all the black men she’s just dissed.

To the director’s credit, he does also include conversations with some sisters who don’t absolutely go berserk when questioned about the behavior of brothers, like the one who forcefully makes the case that, “Not every black woman walking the face of this Earth is angry. There are plenty of sweet, sugary, syrupy sisters that I know that brothers don’t want.”
Overall, the movie does come down rather hard on sisters, even though it doesn’t let brothers off the hook entirely. Cleverly-edited to keep the audience on the edge of its seat, the movie flits back and forth between this sort of frank dialogue and the riveting tug-of-war between James and Tanya. With both the factual and fictional parts of the picture equally absorbing, expect to emerge from theater emotionally drained yet inspired to discuss the degree of dysfunction permeating African-American relationships among your friends and family.

Tim Alexander is quick to say that “Diary of a Tired Black Man is not a movie, It’s a message.” Well, I’d say it’s both, and if his aim with this message movie is to kickstart an overdue dialogue for change, I’d say congrats for more than meeting that challenge.

To see the trailer that caused the uproar, visit: http://www.diaryofatiredblackman.com/

Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 108 minutes
Studio: ScreenTime Films