In This Issue - Brian White Online

Transcription

Volume 2 Issue 1
January 21– January 27, 2007
From
Comedy To
Drama White
Shows His
Skills In The
New Film
Stomp The
Yard
The Latest In Comedy News & Entertainment
In This Issue
Publisher
Frank Holder
Special Thanks This Issue
Brian White
Celine Ramillon
Tony Spires
Shawn Harris
Daphney Bernier
Gladymir Bernier
Editor
Kevin Layne
Columnists
Tony Spires
Photographers
Giuliano Bekor (Cover Story)
Marquis Davis
Loilita Parker Jr.
Layout, Design & Graphic Art Editor
Bernadette Holder
The content of this Newsletter is copy
written (2006-2007) by The Humor
Mill Comedy Newsletter, DBA The
Urban Comedy Association, LLC. and
may not be reprinted or retransmitted
without proper credit given to its
origin.
www.humormillcomedy.com
http://www.myspace.com/humormillcomedynewsletter
In case you are one of the
comedians who wasn’t invited,
there was a new taping for the
next season of Walter Latham and
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boys
Of Comedy for HBO. This comes
at a time when there is no word
yet if HBO is going to renew the
next season of Def Comedy Jam.
In more HBO news, we just heard about the HBO and U.S.
Comedy Arts Festival's 13th annual Aspen Comedy Festival that
will be held Feb. 28–March 4. The lineup to perform is George
Carlin, Steven Wright, Katt Williams and Lavell Crawford. We
have to agree with a couple of reports (and people we spoke
to) about one thing here; there seems to be not enough
diversity or representation from HBO, even though their
biggest comedy programs the last couple of years has been Def
Comedy Jam, The Bad Boys Of Comedy, and The Chris Rock
Show. HBO states the festival is to present the best cutting-edge
new talent, writers and filmmakers as well as featuring
appearances and performances by some of the biggest comedy
stars. Well, where is their invitation?
David Arnold
Lavell
Crawford
George
Carlin
Katt Williams
Steven Wright
We have to give a shout out to comedian David Arnold for hosting the
new original series Black Men Revealed, which premiered on Jan. 14th
on TV One. The show discusses everything from police abuse to
marriage. Comedian Chris Spencer also appeared on the show to keep
the show moving along with Marcus King of King Artist Management
(Jamie Foxx management).
Vanessa Williams
Isaiah Washington
Chandra Wilson
Shaun Robinson
DB Woodside
Last week The 38th NAACP Image Awards Nominations were announced during a
press conference at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Actors Vanessa L. Williams,
Isaiah Washington, Chandra Wilson, Shaun Robinson, DB Woodside, announced the
nominees for the 38th NAACP Image Awards.
The NAACP Image Awards honors projects and individuals that promote diversity in
the arts in television, recording, literature and motion pictures. The theme of this
year's show is “Youth Create Change.” The 38th NAACP Image Awards will air live
on Friday, March 2nd (8:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX.
The CBS network leads with a total of 19 nominations, followed by The CW with
17. Everybody Hates Chris received 8 nominations, including the directing
category. Girlfriends received 6 nominations, including the directing and writing
categories.
In the Motion Picture category, Lionsgate Films received 8 nominations, including two
in the directing and writing categories. Sony and Dreamworks/Paramount followed
with 7 nominations each. Dreamgirls garnered 8 nominations, including best
soundtrack. Akeelah and the Bee and The Pursuit of Happyness both received 5
nominations, with an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination
for newcomer Jaden Christopher Syre Smith.
Soledad O'Brien, co-anchor of CNN's American Morning, will receive the 2007 NAACP President's
Award, given in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. Past honorees
include Susan Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Jesse Jackson, Ryan White, Kent & Carmen Amos, Bryant
Gumbel, Alexis Herman, Lauryn Hill, Tavis Smiley, Tom Joyner, Condoleezza Rice, President Bill
Clinton, T.D. Jakes and Venus and Serena Williams.
Here is a selected portion of the nominations and categories;
TELEVISION
Comedy:
Series
"All of Us" (CW)
"The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)
"Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
"Girlfriends" (CW)
"Ugly Betty" (ABC)
Actor in a Comedy Series
Bernie Mac - "The Bernie Mac Show“ (FOX)
Donald Faison - "Scrubs" (NBC)
Duane Martin - "All of Us" (CW)
George Lopez - "George Lopez" (ABC)
Tyler James Williams - "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
Actress in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera - "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
Maya Rudolph - "Saturday Night Live" (NBC)
Raven-Symoné - "That’s So Raven" (Disney Channel)
Tichina Arnold - "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
Tracee Ellis Ross - "Girlfriends" (CW)
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Antonio Fargas -"Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
Reggie Hayes - "Girlfriends" (CW)
Romany Malco - "Weeds" (Showtime)
Terry Crews - "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
Victor Williams - "The King of Queens" (CBS)
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Dee Dee Davis - "The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)
LisaRaye McCoy Misick - "All of Us" (CW)
Telma Hopkins - "Half & Half" (UPN)
Vanessa L. Williams - "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
Whoopi Goldberg - "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
Speaking of James Brown we
hear director Spike Lee has
signed on to direct a bio film
about him. We also hear that
Spike is simultaneously trying
to get a film called Selling
Time into production. We're
told it's a pet project of Lee's
Spike Lee
and is about a man who
shaves time from his life to change the worst
day of his life.
A couple of our friends over
at The Hollywood Reporter
has told us that cable
network HBO is developing
an unscripted series from
executive producer/director
Larry Charles (Curb Your
Enthusiasm, Borat) and will
Kanye West
star Grammy-winning rapper
Kanye West, and is based on West's hectic life.
Idris Alba
Mekhi
Phifer
Delroy Lindo
Regina
King
Chris
Brown
Zoe
Saklana
The producers of the new film Stomp The Yard are about to drop a couple of more films very
soon. Their next film titled This Christmas stars actors DelRoy Lindo, Idris Elba, Regina King,
Columbus Short, Zoe Saldana, Sharon Leal, Chris Brown and Mekhi Phifer.
Bob Sumner ~ The Science Of Comedy
This week we wanted to bring you something a little different. It seems we were having some
conversations with Producer Bob Sumner and we realized he is touring the country looking
for the next group of comedians who will be on Russell Simmon’s Def Comedy Jam. So, we
decided to ask Bob what does he look for in a comedian and other things on how to become
a superstar comedian since he has worked with all of the world’s best comics. Anyway, we
got the chance to catch up with Bob and here is what he had to say;
HM: Bob how are you doing?
BS: How are you doing Frank? What’s going on? You notice, it’s actually Russell Simmon’s
Def Comedy Jam cause there’s a lot of Def Jams out here. There’s Def Fried Chicken Jam,
there’s Def Def Jam, the Def Mute Jam…(we both laugh here!)
HM: Bob, I know…I say it because of all the work that you do behind the scenes. But
anyway…
BS: Yeah, but you know what? I am in Hollywood right now. And for the record, people say
Hollywood beats acting in Hollywood? You know I got here and everybody was calling me
and talking about “Happy Birthday”? and I didn’t know what they was talking about cause
my birthday is actually next week. They are throwing me a birthday party tonight!
HM: Oh wow, you better enjoy that!
BS: I thought that was nice! Aint that nice?
HM: Yeah real nice! But Bob I wanted to get down to business and ask you some things, and
ask you about the start of the New Year 2007, you know Def Comedy Jam is coming back, I
got a whole bunch of questions I got to ask you and the first thing is Mike Epps; is he going
to be the Host for this season or are you going to change up?
BS: Its kind of premature to even be talking about next season because, like right now I’m
going around the country looking for new talent. Really got to tell you, it’s really crazy! But
we didn’t…We haven’t had the official, official “pick-up”. So, until we get the official, official
“pick-up”, you know it’s just a lot of premature, you know…I mean a lot of rumors and
things of that nature. But see the reason I move like this is because…Especially fresh off of,
you know, how hot things are going on in the comedy business as well as with the Humor
Mill, I just don’t like to talk about certain things. But I like to stay ahead of the game that’s
why I know when HBO does call – I’m really hoping and expecting it because, you see what’s
happening… There’s a resurgence here and I like to be ahead of the wheel because there a
whole lot of other projects that I am working on so I had some time to go around and
also…And also what happens with us Frank, with the Def Comedy Jam auditions, it also
brings life to cities around the country.
Bob Sumner ~ The Science Of Comedy (cont.)
You know what I mean? Comedians and promoters who are trying to get urban comedy off in their
perspective communities and cities, we come in and, you know they bring us in. And they showcase
15-20 comedians in front of us and what it does is it gives us an opportunity to see what comedians
they have in their city and also give the audience an opportunity to have a nice place to go and
laugh. It ain’t about just going out to a dance party every week, you know? Def Jam also helps
coming from that end.
HM: Well that leads to my next question which is since you are obviously are touring the country
trying to find the next group of comedians for Def Comedy Jam, are there a group of comedians
right now who are standing out, who are some new cats that you are like saying “you know what,
these guys I definitely see have a future!” Or anybody you can say will be the next break out
“unknowns” in 2007?
BS: Quite, quite, quite a few! And as we speak right now, I’m going through…I gotta really explain
to you the formula that I have. Because you know we just did the first season of Def Comedy Jam
and we mixed it up. A lot of people talked about it being a reunion, I mean yes it was like a reunion
because so many of these guys I haven’t seen each other and I haven’t seen some of them in a while.
But we also brought back some fresh new faces and the truth of the matter is with the hunger of the
new faces you saw they pretty much shined. That’s how it is. And this time around I have really been
able to comb the country and when it comes to new comedians, I mean, I know Puff just finished
taping his and he used a nice amount of comedians and some of them who I thought had some of
the better sets when I was auditioning them for this season. So, including some of those guys, its quite
a few. When I say going to a lot of cities, I mean seriously I have gone from Boston to Providence,
(you know about Boston) I went to Dallas, D.C., I have been to Atlanta, Chicago, Philly, Charlotte,
Nashville, Detroit, I even went to North Carolina. And Colorado Springs! I even went up to
Wisconsin. I have seen stars! I have seen a couple…I normally look at them like… I judge them from
one to five. A scale from one to five. For me to give you a five hands down you are ready to take it
to another level. You know what I did with Chris Tucker, Chappelle and those guys. You could just
see it. You know there’s a couple of young ladies…there’s a lot of people on the fence. So my work
is cut out, man. But you can believe at the end of the day it’s going to be hot.
HM: Can you give a complete overview of how you judge a comedian when they come on stage? Is
it stage presence, beside jokes, a couple of people can be funny…
PLEASE listen to the rest of this interview! This is where Bob gives his complete insight in how he
judges comedians and he lists all of the dos and don’ts. VERY INFORMATIVE for those trying to
make it on Def Comedy Jam and for those just trying to make it in comedy!
Tomi Rae Hynie
The 5-year-old child
of James Brown and
his partner, Tomi Rae
Hynie,
is
not
included in the will
read last week to
six of the entertainer's
children, attorneys for the late singer say.
While the will provides for six children,
Hynie's son, James Jr., is not one of those
listed in the document, attorney Strom
Thurmond Jr. told The Associated Press. The
will was read in Aiken but has not been filed
in probate court, said Buddy Dallas, another
Brown attorney.
In the “I-can’t believethis” category cable
network VH1 has another
hit; I Love New York,
scored the highest debut
in the network’s history
on Jan. 8. Some 4.4
million people (18-49)
tuned see Tiffany Pollard
Tiffany “Miss New
begin weeding through a
York” Pollard
pool of 20 eligible
bachelors. And it is no surprise that it was cocreated by Flavor Flav--the man's smarter than
some believe. Now for all of you who complain
about these type of shows STOP WATCHING
THEM! The ratings show that those who com
plain are the same ones watching the shows.
L-R: Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Nicole Kidman & Sydney Poitier
We hear that actors Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx and Nicole Kidman are set to show off their
interviewing skills after landing TV chats with their Oscar-winning heroes. The three Oscar
winners were invited to pick their favorite Academy Award victor and interview them for an
upcoming Oprah TV special. The Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special, which will debut in America just
before this year's Oscars next month, will feature Roberts chatting with her pal George Clooney
at his Hollywood home, Kidman interviewing star Russell Crowe and Foxx putting veteran actor
Sidney Poitier on the spot. We got word that this is a must – see TV event.
Brian White ~ The New Stomp In Hollywood
This week’s cover story is definitely a fascinating piece; we
see it as beginning of a true Hollywood actor commencing to
what could be an illustrious career. Many of you have seen
actor Brian White in comedy projects for television in shows
such as Second Time Around and film projects such as Mr.
3000 with Bernie Mac, but let’s not forget his dramatic roles
in films such as Redemption and on television in The Shield.
Well, his new project in theaters last weekend is Stomp The
Yard (the #! Film in America) as he takes on the role of the
new 2007 version of Big Brother All-Might-TEE (those of you
who remember Spike’s film School Daze will get this
reference). But as Brian will tell you in the following
interview, that’s’ where all of the references to Spike’s film
ends. According to him, this is a new film that will enlighten
an entire new generation to what Black Fraternities and
Sororities are, and unlike School Daze, will challenge the
audience to understand the meaning of brotherhood along
with the lead character DJ (Columbus Short).
HM: The Humor Mill Comedy and Entertainment News here, except this week we don’t have a
comedian we have Brian White the actor. Brian White is most notable known for doing a couple
of stints on television and film and most recently he is going to be in a film titled Stomp The Yard.
Brian, how are you doing?
BW: I’m doing alright, how you doing?
HM: I’m okay. The first thing I want to ask you is can you explain to the audience what Stomp
The Yard is all about?
BW: Well, I’m excited about this movie and I am really proud of this movie. It’s basically a history
lesson. I mean we are coming up on Black History month and this film celebrates the rich history
and tradition of historically black fraternities and sororities in institutions of higher learning and
the film basically encapsulates the kind of character building moments that have occurred on these
HBCU’s through out the years for many students. In a nutshell Stomp The Yard is a coming of age
story about a young man from Los Angeles, California who basically learns some very valuable life
lessons through his experiences at Truth
Brian White ~ The New Stomp In Hollywood (cont.)
University in Atlanta, Georgia. The main
character DJ (who is played by a very
talented actor and dancer Columbus
Short), he starts out in Los Angeles and
through a series of events he loses his
younger brother (his younger brother is
played by Chris Brown), and Chris’
aspirations are to go to a historically
Black
College/University-he’s
a
bookworm, and he’s also a dancer- and
through his brother’s urgings at an
underground dance battle they get into
some hot water and it turns bad and
some bad events happen to Chris, and
Columbus ends up taking on his brother’s
goals, his brother’s future in attending the
school like I mentioned before. The lessons that he learned, and what he gained through his
experiences in college, he regained his sense of family, and brotherhood through the people and the
fraternity that he becomes affiliated with, and develops a means to communicate and express
himself and also develops a true sense of self awareness through this fraternity and through this
characters like myself, and Meagan Good that he encounters.
HM: Can you explain to the audience what your part is in the film?
BW: Yes, I play Big Brother Sylvester. He’s the fraternity President of the fictitious Theta Nu Theta
and that is something that I want to stress, that all of the fraternities that we portray (The Theta Nu
Theta House and The Nu Gamma House) they are fictitious and they are not based on any one
particular fraternity. I am the President of the fraternity and captain of the step team and I basically
start off as DJ’s antagonists; I don’t think he has the right motives for wanting to join a fraternity in
general, and I don’t think his aspirations for wanting to be affiliated are authentic. So I don’t really
trust him, and I kind of make him rise to the challenge.
HM: Was there any type of background done to try to get the real fraternities or sororities involved
in the films?
Brian White ~ The New Stomp In Hollywood (cont.)
BW: The real fraternities and sororities were involved but how
that all came about was the producers of the film are both
Alphas (Ed. Note-Alpha Phi Alpha). Will Packer and Rob Hardy
are Alphas and I think (I’m not 100% positive) Rob was an
officer in his chapter; they both went to FAMU in Florida. Our
choreographer (we had 2 choreographers) Dave Scott, who
most people know his work from the film You Got Served and
the million videos that he has done, and Chuck Maldonado.
Chuck is a Kappa (Kappa Alpha Psi) and he was our step
choreographer. But when we shot the film, we shot in Atlanta
Georgia at various schools including Morehouse, Spellman,
Clark, Georgia Tech and Morris Brown, and the extras that
came out- a lot of them- and I would say that more than 50%
were current members of these nine institutions (the Devine
Nine), and Pan Hellenic houses. So they would come out
wearing their colors, wearing their jackets. You know we didn’t
provide wardrobe for any of these extras and step teams
would come out, you would have a whole bunch of Kappas
and Alphas and Sigmas and Deltas and what have you on our set as extras and once would start
going they would start going. They really provided an air of authenticity to what we did. You
know if we weren’t on point, if our choreography wasn’t tight, our routines weren’t tight, there
would be boos. If they were we would get our respect. So it lent a lot of credibility and a lot of
authenticity to the film. And then when it came to the big step show there is a section of the
movie where you will see other teams step. Those are the actual step teams from other
fraternities and sororities that came out and helped us out to represent their organization in the
film.
HM: Oh, really?
BW: Very, very authentic. You know there were segments in the script that said “The Theta Nu
Thetas win the step show” but we would keep shooting all day until the Thetas Nu Thetas
won….
For more on this interview please listen to the complete interview as Brian White explains in
detail the film and an in depth look behind the making of the film!
Your Ad Here!
For more information, email
[email protected]
Star Spotlight ~ Jeffrey D. Sams
This week we discovered another actor who is under the
Hollywood radar. The saddest part about this actor is most of the
television shows he appeared in were cancelled in it’s first season.
This has been the life so far for actor Jeffrey D. Sams.
Sams was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and currently lives
in Los Angeles with his wife. He was born June 18 and is youngest
of 7 children. His mother made him attend the School of Creative
and Performing Arts, where he excelled in acting, song and dance.
Sams received several scholarships and ultimately graduated from
Webster University in St. Louis. During his impressive career his list of credits
included: Rose Hill, Hope and a three episode arc on "Law and Order. He was
a regular on the TV shows Sleepwalkers, Courthouse, Medicine Ball and
Loving. He has also appeared in or had recurring roles in Living Single, Boston
Common, Thea and The Commish.
Sams first attracted industry attention as Rich, the subway token clerk who
leaves his job, his wife and young son to pursue his career as a rap artist, in Fly
By Night, winner of the Filmmaker's Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival. The
Cincinnati, OH native then came to national notice as a result of his co-starring
role as Whitney Houston's would-be suitor Lionel in Waiting to Exhale. He
further raised his profile playing Vivica A Fox's husband Kenneth in the sleeper
hit and one of our favorite’s, Soul Food. On the small screen, Sams has acted
in such movies as Green Dolphin Bend, Automatic, Run For the Dream: The
Gail Deevers Story and Hope, Goldie Hawn's directorial debut.
Most recently Sams has done a lot of cartoon voice tracking, and we hear he is
currently in discussions for his own film he is writing and producing.
Comedian Of The Week ~ Shawn Harris
This week’s comedian is Shawn Harris who we have heard through the
grapevine might be related to the great Robin Harris. So we decided to catch up
with him ourselves and to get the scoop. Here is what he had to say;
HM: Shawn, how are you doing?
SH: I’m doing great. A little exposure? I got A LOT of exposure!
HM: Shawn, I wanted ask you right out the gate; There are a lot of comedians
out there who are listening, and want to know how do comedians get on
Comic View and get their career started and get out there? Can you tell people
how did you get from the comedy club onto Comic View?
SH: Well I auditioned. I remember they had auditions in LA. The first time I did
it in 1999. Basically I wooed the crowd and I got a standing ovation.
The people from Comic View were there that night and I taped in 2000, and I was on Comic View
since 2000 every year. I went to audition once. Now, a lot of times they tell you to send them
tapes, or fax, a monologue, or something like that. But I was just lucky. I only had to audition once
and I was on there every year after that and they called me to come back on. I must have impressed
somebody.
HM: Exactly. Another question, do you feel that comedians starting out in the game have to go
from where ever they are to be in New York or L.A.?
SH: Yeah because I started my career in New York and I was doing it since 1994, so I was on stages
every night every chance I got for quite a few years. Although I never got on television out of New
York- even though you can. I auditioned for Def Comedy Jam in ’96; I just didn’t work out for me.
I wasn’t ready for it at the time. And then I moved to L.A. in ’98. A year later in ’99 I auditioned for
Comic View and 2000 I was on TV. So yeah, either L.A. or New York is going to put you on
television. From my experience.
HM: What would you say if you had to describe your humor? Like what of jokes do you do? How
would you describe it to the general audience?
SH: Blue. I’m a raw, nasty, I talk about everything. My comedy is a refection of myself. Guaranteed,
we have done the same things but maybe in different way. All I do is make you remember that day
that you fell down the steps drunk. It happened to me; I fell down the steps drunk before. You
know what I’m saying? So I have a Blue type of humor. My humor is definitely for adults only.
HM: So would you say that being on Comic View you had to tone your comedy down?
SH: Yeah. For Comic View your not suppose to curse but, I realized a few years into the game that
it you did curse they would edit it. Comic View was a great platform for me. I mean I got fans all
over the United States just from Comic View. But Comic View doesn’t allow you to just get off to
just get on stage and do your thing because you’re on BET…..
LISTEN to the rest of the interview as Shawn talks about him possibly being related to the late
ROBIN HARRIS!!!!
Still Waters
The Gospel Mill
Stay tuned for the launch of the
Still Waters Gospel Newsletter!
January 2007
We here at The Humor Mill want to try something a little different; tell us if you like it.
The 6th Monthly Ghetto Awards! First off, Happy New Year everybody and Welcome to the 6th
Monthly Ghetto Awards Show. Here we keep it as real as it gets. At The GAS (Ghetto Award Show) we
talk about what everyone is talking about in the streets and commend individuals for there work for that
particular month. No topic is to racy or to hard for these awards. So without further or due I the Bulletin
King with help from the Court Jester would like to present the first award.
The Oh Cow You Were Still Alive Award Goes To…
Gerald Ford who (I’m sorry) thought passed years ago (and I know I’m not the only person that thought
that). This dude lived to be 93 years old, 93 YEARS PEOPLE! You know someone is old when they are
13 years older than the year Television was invented (gaa damn) R.I.P. Gerald Ford for the second time.
The What The Hell Is This Show All About Award Goes To...
The show on Oxygen Bad Girls! Ummm can someone tell me what are these chicks are working towards
or what’s the premise? They go out, they fight, chicks get drunk and wake up in the middle of their sleep
throwing stuff, wake up and can’t remember a damn thing. What is the point of the show people? But
as always, stupid reality show, which means I’m addicted. All I have to say is, is it me or is that show
Flava Of Love without having Flav there? Way to go Oxygen! Way to make a show out of nothing.
The I’m Out! See You Later Award Goes To…
Allen Iverson for being traded from Philly to Denver (and Philly got pretty much nothing). After 10
seasons with the 76ers, Iverson is now in Denver. All I can say is be careful my dude. Denver wasn’t a
good look for Kobe a couple of years ago. And if it calls for you to get with a snow bunny, wrap it up.
That one night cost Kobe 4 Million Dollar Diamond Ring. The hell with that! Remember, magnum
condoms are 9 dollars a pack. That’s 3,991,000 dollar that dude could have saved, and the
embarrassment.
The Sucka Punch Of The Month Goes To…
Iverson’s teammate Carmello Anthony. Last month the New York Knicks got into a brawl with the
Denver Nuggets where Carmello throws a sucka punch that dropped Marty Colins (who?) anyway. The
only problem is that when he was faced with a fair one he back peddled and ran. The other award in
this category goes to Nate Robinson who is little man thug of the month, for wrestling with dudes 2 feet
taller than him and holding his own.
The Damn Dogg, Learn From Your Mistakes Award Goes To
Snoop Dogg who was arrested twice in one month. I mean once, okay (you’re a rapper, once is pretty
much a requirement) but twice? I mean Snoop was trying to break a Getting Locked up record or
something. He got locked up 3 times in 2 months, Guinness Book of World Records gotta take a look at
that. I’m saying Dogg, if your going to carry Weed, Cocaine, and Guns just be a little more careful. Oh
and Snoop, they kinda banned the Gun thingy on the planes. (Just a little bit of advice).
www.darnellwright.com or www.myspace.com/darnellwright
Happy New Year! May every good thing that you diligently pursue, be
yours in 2007. I had a wonderful holiday. It was full of life, children’s
laughter and family love. I hope you had a safe and peaceful end of year.
Whether we’re ready or not, now, it’s time to get busy-like never before.
Those of you, whom are already retired or will be retiring this year, excuse me. To all the rest of
us who remain on that perpetual grind for recognition, respect and reward, let’s “break ‘em off
real proper-like” in 2007!
Now that we’ve dispensed with the pleasantries, I have a question. Is it just me, or do people
seem to lie now more than ever? I don’t know about you but I run into more people nowadays
who are ‘straight-up’ liars. They lie convincingly and effortlessly. They lie on and to family,
friends and foes alike. They lie for fun and for profit. They lie for no apparent reason. Over the
years, I’ve come to realize that some people lie merely to hear themselves speak. In the interest
of your time, I’m going to focus on one particular kind of liar in this article.
We won’t be discussing the malicious lies filled with ill will and contempt. Nor will we expound
upon the kind of lies that save our skin or get someone else out of trouble. I’m not even talking
about the kind of slight stretching of the truth, which many in our society commonly refer to as
“little white” lies. (I never quite understood the whole concept behind calling some lies white,
anyway. I guess that means a “lie of color,” of any size is unacceptable. Go figure.). After ample
introspection, I’ve decided not to address the delusional fabrications of truth that I call, “lies of
grandeur.”
The comedy industry has some of the most colorful and consistent “storytellers” in all of show
business and undoubtedly some of the worse offenders. Some are industry professionals who lie
about what they’re going to do for you. Some are club owners and promoters who swear
they’ve got “the next big thing.” And some are comedians, themselves, who spin unbelievable
yarns about big things happening in their own careers.
Now, I understand the stress that we’re all under to have something new and exciting to report
(or even “floss” on) when we run into our peers. That particular kind of compulsion is only
paralleled by the pressure to actually “make it.” In a world where perception is everything, it’s
important to never appear as though one’s career has gone stagnant. In L.A. the weight is
backbreaking. No, it’s more than that-to many people it’s unbearable.
In some instances, people may casually ask you, “What’s new?” Or say, “I haven’t seen you for a
while. What have you been up to?” Seems harmless enough, right? But you know better. It’s a
trap. And you know if you “get caught slippin’,” and unwittingly comment that you’re in
between projects right now, you’ll spend the better part of ’07 trying to clean up the mess you
made from your little extemporaneous confession.
On other occasions it may be an impromptu “one-ups-manship” contest that stings an
unsuspecting stand-up. The scenario unfolds innocently enough. A group of up and coming
comics get together outside a club or inside a restaurant and start ‘riffing’ (for those comedy [and
jazz]-speak-challenged, ‘riffing’ is the act of spontaneous improvisation-illustrating yet again why
Black Comedy is indeed an art-form and why it is so magical.). Somewhere during the course of
the evening, the script gets ‘flipped’. From out of the fog, somebody shows up and starts
spouting off about having just booked the gig of a lifetime.
Of course it’s at least temporarily unverifiable. This usually leads to the onthe-spot (and often no-holds-barred) comedic comparing of careers.
Your natural inclination may be to go into self-defense mode. You feel
compelled to get them off of you, as it were, at all costs. As a result of all
this heaviness and the stress one carries around from just trying to make it, there’s the natural
temptation to come up with something good. How is it going to look if you’re the only one
devoid of a “floss card?” You’re all familiar with the adage, “God bless the child who’s got his
own.” Well, show business seems to bless the child who’s at least got something to brag about.
If this sounds like a personal indictment, don’t trip. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about
those other perpetrators out there.
Recently, I heard a report of a particular comic who was so compelled to have something big to
speak on that he made up an elaborate tale that put him in the co-starring role of a hot, new
movie. He went on to say that he was to start shooting his scenes the next day. Now, as fate
would have it, the person who actually got the role was in the group of people the “fibber” was
bragging to. He had to cut the liar off and say, “Excuse me my good man but I just ‘wrapped’
shooting that role yesterday!” Well, his words may’ve been a bit more colorful but you get my
drift. Needless to say, the room exploded and the liar had to exit by quietly slipping into the
Hollywood mist.
My point is simple. This business of comedy and all show business in general, is a hard and
tenuous grind. Everybody, except those at the top, is struggling on one level or another. I know
it may seem as though everybody else is ‘rolling like Amtrak’ but don’t believe the hype. We all
have to make our own way in this game one accomplishment, one milestone at a time. In the
meantime, remember careers are elusive and fleeting. Celebrate the fact that you’re still here
doing battle. Just because it hasn’t happened for you yet doesn’t mean that it’s not going to
happen. It may simply mean that your 15 minutes will begin as others’ are wrapping up. As jazz
artist Roy Ayers said a long time ago, “Life is just a moment.” Smell the African violets and
remember if you want to ‘chop it up’ with me, you don’t have to lie to kick it!
Thanks to all of you for reading the column. It’s my pleasure and duty to share these insights
with my people. Treat them like fish. Only eat the meat. I want your feedback. Until next
time, be safe, be smart, be successful, be thankful. One Love, for real. Holla at your Doctor!
#
#
#
Tony Spires is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, event producer, personal manager, award-winning
playwright, critically acclaimed director and founder of the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition
& Festival. He welcomes your comments and questions about this and other articles or projects.
Get more information at: www.BlackComedyCompetition.com. Email Tony at:
[email protected] and checkout his poetry blog at:
http://www.MySpace.com/Phruishun.
Tribute To James Brown By Full Force
We had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Brown and working in the studio
with him in 1988-1989 while producing an entire album on him titled
"I'm Real". We remained good friends up until his passing. We will
remember the great month and a half of great times with Mr. Brown
in the studio. From him dancing in the studio while recording our
songs to him always having his assistant comb his hair at the end of
every session. It was a 5 minute ritual as we just used to look in
amazement. We remember Mr. Brown telling us all his stories, like he
was the original rapper. Plus he hated the fact that the rappers were
using his music and voice on their records without paying him, but
later he loved it just as long as he was getting paid. AND telling us that
it was because of him that Hotels became popular...AND when he did an unexpected “James Brown” full extended split
while we were taking photographs in the studio for about a hundred news people and photographers, and being that
the photographers were not ready they asked him to do the split again and he refused, by saying "Sorry but you should
of caught the photo when i did it." Or the time Rev. Al Sharpton came to studio in the middle of a session and Mr.
Brown shut everything down just to talk to the Rev for about an hour and when Rev. Sharpton asked him how he was
doing he replied "Rev, I'm wearing red shades but I'm seeing blue." Or when Mr. Brown was balancing the side of a
coco-cola bottle on a quarter and our engineer at the time "Tony Maserati" erased an important vocal by Mr. Brown on
the first song we recorded at the studio and for 15 minutes an annoyed Mr. Brown kept looking at Tony asking him
"Where was he from?" How about the time when he told my brother B-Fine that he wasn't gonna record a song that he
wrote, and me and Paul had to run out to convince him to do it. How about when we were told by the late Dan
Hartman (who produced Living in America for Mr. Brown) that we were never to call him by his first name in the
studio, we were to call him Mr. Brown and we called him that then as we do now. How about the time when Mr.
Brown kept telling us how much he loved and respected us and how he's never let anyone produce an entire James
Brown album but himself until he heard our music and wanted to work with us. Or how he always told us that he
loved us like musical sons.
Those are just some of the memories that we can never forget. We loved Mr. Brown and we send out our deepest
condolences to his family and friends. We (Full Force) produced Mr. James Brown's last two top 5 records in his career.
"I'M REAL" and "STATIC“ . Our songs with Mr. Brown came at a time when everybody was sampling his music and his
voice without his permission but soon after all of Mr. Brown’s attorneys put a stop to that and reminded everybody just
who was boss as Mr. Brown finally was able to get paid from everyone who sampled his music. It was an honor to
work with him, it was also an honor to become friends with him. Anyway Mr. Brown, we know that you'll be makin’ it
funky up there in heaven while God takes u in his arms and says "I Got You, You'll Feel Good," then you'll finally say
back to him in person “OW GOOD GOD!". YOUR MUSIC AND VIDEOS WILL REP YOUR MUSIC & SOUL. YOUR
LEGACY WILL LIVE ON FOREVER.
I want to thank Mr. Harry Weinger and Jeff Moskow for including "Static" in James Brown's 50th anniversary album on
UTV records/Universal (JAMES BROWN 50 (An Anniversary Collection) it includes 50 J.B. classics. You can also hear
STATIC at WWW.FORCEFULWORLD.COM. Song number 14 on the song list, u can see the music video of us and
James
Brown
performing
"I'm
Real“
on
our
website
WWW.ForcefulWorld.com
as
well
as
WWW.Myspace.com/FullForce. REST IN PEACE GODFATHER, WE ALL LOVE U Full Force loves u Godfather! Long
live the King!
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come and help us! We are growing and soon to be a
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as we are about to launch!
If you are interested please contact us at;
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Women of Vision Alliance (WOVA) is a non-profit
organization which provides a forum for women to come
together. In essence, it will allow for the diversity of our
creativity to open hearts and minds, and to help build a
stronger sisterhood. WOVA seeks to nourish our spiritual
and physical being while cultivating positive and
motivational activities that will encourage us to share our
gifts and talents with one another and the community at
large. WOVA strives for the empowerment of selfconfidence, self-assurance, peace and wellness of all
women. A chapter will be forming in Charleston and
Philadelphia soon! Catch the Vision! WOVA Café; is an
extension of the same vision. It is a virtual café; with
hopes in creating a network of women who will share
their gifts and talents; such as writing, poetry/spoken
word, motivational speaking, etc. We are looking to have
you stop by the café; and join us with a host of
performances. Also, we look forward to seeing you in
person as we take the café; to your area. Listings will be
posted soon. Grab a cup of java or your latte and share
with the sisters.
http://www.myspace.com/wovacafe
http://www.myspace.com/humormillcomedynewsletter
http://www.humormillcomedy.com
Print Edition Coming Soon!

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