Tracy Morgan Produces"Freshman Roommates"

30 Rock" actor Tracy Morgan will star in and produce "Freshman Roommates," a comedy feature inspired by the ubiquitous e-mail scams purporting to be sent by a Nigerian prince looking for help in accessing his fortune.

The film for Montecito and Paramount Pictures asks the question what if one of the emails isn't a scam. The story kicks off when a young man answers one such email during a drunken stupor. Soon thereafter, the spoiled son of a deposed African dictator (Morgan) shows up at his door, looking to secure his inheritance.

TJ Miller ("Cloverfield") will co-star in the film, which was written as a starring vehicle for Morgan by standup veterans John Mulaney and Nick Kroll, reports Variety.

Morgan is producing via his Street Life banner. The actor most recently appeared in the Sony comedy "First Sunday" and lends his voice to the Disney CGI picture "G-Force," which opens July 24.

Hollywood studio bosses are racist!!

Hollywood actor Danny Glover has alleged that Hollywood studio bosses are racist after he failed to secure financial aid for a biopic of revolutionary Haitian leader Toussaint L'Ouverture.According to the New York Post, Glover's project has yet to move forward due to financial woes despite Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offering half of the $36 million budget to finance the film, reports Contactmusic.com.Glover was reportedly banking on the other $18 million from a distributor, but claims he faced rejection from financiers unsure of producing a film based on L'Ouverture, who helped to abolish slavery in Haiti in the late 1700s."Producers said it is a nice project. A great project in fact, but where are the white heroes?" Glover recently told a Paris film seminar, reports the Pan-African Newswire.He added: "I couldn't get the money here. I couldn't get the money in Britain. I went to everybody. The first question you get is: Is it a black film? All of them agree, it is not going to do good in Europe, it is not going to do good in Japan. Somebody has to prove that to be a lie".

Forest Whitaker to Produce "Brick City"

The Sundance Channel is teaming with Forest Whitaker to produce "Brick City," a new documentary series that takes an in-depth look at the challenges facing Newark, N.J., and its mayor, Cory Booker.

The film will also follow local citizens and key figures -- from real estate developers to ex-gang members -- as they try to remake the city, working to stamp out violence, poverty and corruption and make improvements in housing, employment and education.

Whitaker, the Oscar-winning star of "The Last King of Scotland," will serve as an executive producer with the series' directors, Marc Levin ("Slam") and Mark Benjamin ("The Last Party"), according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The series, which will take place over the span of about a year so viewers can see whether things change, is scheduled to debut with six half-hour episodes in the third quarter of 2009.

Sundance executive vp/GM Laura Michalchyshyn said Whitaker is a "huge supporter of this project and of Newark," but that it was too early to determine if he might provide voice-over for the series.

"Munsters" remake from the Wayans Bros is finally close to seeing daylight.

MTV News is reporting that the long gestating "Munsters" remake from the Wayans Bros is finally close to seeing daylight.

Shawn Wayans and the team behind “Scary Movie” and “Little Man” are currently finalizing work on their third draft of the script.

“I'm almost ready. It's almost ready to be shot,” Wayans said during a late night shoot on his newest film, the musical spoof “Dance Flick.” “We had to finish this movie and now we're going through our third polish on ‘The Munsters.'”

The Wayans first announced their involvement in the project four years ago, but Shawn says the film's basic format hasn't really changed all that much in the four years since: they are still placing the family in modern times and they still don't have any plans to star.

“If we do anything, maybe we'll do a cameo, but we're not gonna make The Munsters black all of a sudden,” Wayans laughed. “They're gonna be green, white people just like they were in the TV show. Their characters are still who they were in the ‘50s. It's just in modern day.”

Calling for Autonomous, Black-Owned Film Companies

Since the early days of cinema, when the Lincoln Motion Picture Company and Oscar Micheaux existed, we haven't seen an autonomous black-owned and operated film entity in this country, akin to the likes of the Hollywood-based studios and their subsidiaries. As a black filmmaker, I once empathized with the cries of black voices working within the studio system, criticizing it for its lack of diversity. However, the song has become stale, as people like myself, existing outside the system, struggle to understand the apparent lack of vision that some of our well-paid, powerful, influential voices display.
In recent weeks, I've read articles in which black Hollywood elite like Halle Berry, Spike Lee, and Tyler Perry have expressed their frustrations with some aspect of the industry, specific to their race. It seems to me that we've created this unfortunate reality for ourselves, this prison that we've psyched ourselves into, when we clearly have the power to create the kind of truth we yearn for. Instead we wait for a group of devout capitalists to some day realize our plight and intervene accordingly. Almost 70 years ago, Hattie McDaniel, the first black Oscar winner, was quoted as saying, "I'd rather play a maid and make $700 a week than be one for $7," implying that she was arguably without choice. If black film talent (writers, directors, performers) today are still making somewhat similar statements -- post-Civil Rights Movement, post-Blaxploitation era, post Oscar wins for several black performers; at a time when we have unprecedented access to the production resources necessary, distribution channels, and finances; 70 years after "Mammy" in Gone With the Wind -- if we're still expressing similar sentiments, then we have perhaps regressed instead of progressed. It's a thought that is simultaneously numbing and enraging. It baffles me that someone like Robert Johnson chooses to jump into bed with the Weinstein Company and JP Morgan Chase, to form his film company -- Our Stories Films, Inc. -- as opposed to building the entity solo (he's certainly capable), or in cooperation with other able African Americans/Africans, in order to make it an unequivocally black-owned and operated entity, as opposed to one that's dependent on the influence of white-owned establishments. We've risen to the challenge before. In 1973, a film called The Spook Who Sat By the Door was financed through funds raised from black investors. In 1992, when Spike Lee needed money to complete production of Malcolm X, Bill Cosby, Janet Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and others, collectively came up with approximately $11 million to ensure the completion of the film, since the initial budget approved by Warner Bros. wasn't sufficient. In 1996, the $2.4 million budget for Get on the Bus was financed entirely by contributions from African-American men, including Will Smith, Danny Glover, and Wesley Snipes.
So we've clearly shown the will to mobilize ourselves for a cause, and have done so with some success; it perplexes me why this similar kind of communal effort has not been implemented on a grander scale, and done so more frequently.
An absurd 10 out of the 400 plus films (a paltry 2.5 percent) that have been released this year by the dominant studio system, tell stories primarily about black people, while also being created by black people.
We are still very much the "invisible man" in this powerful medium -- arguably the most influential medium in existence. Cinema informs and educates; and what we learn from the images we see, partially dictates how we relate to each other, especially those whom we rarely interact with. When you're not present, you're not valued, particularly by those in power, who are in positions to create and enforce policies that directly affect us; and when your life is considered unessential, then you're disposable; the victims of Katrina saw this phenomenon play out firsthand.
What I and others like myself are calling for, and trying to crystallize collectively, is a comparable studio that's autonomous, just like any other major/mini film entity -- one that produces, finances, and distributes its own films globally, as opposed to relying on an existing system that's motivated by profit, and has no real incentive to change its modus operandi, nor does it have any allegiance to a single group of people.
We have to become the change that we all say we want to see -- a feat that's more accessible to us than we might realize. It will be a challenge from the beginning, but as long as we don't lose sight of the big picture, it will be a worthwhile effort in the long run. -- Tambay Obenson

Forest Whitaker Directs Louis Armstrong Biopic

Variety is reporting that Forest Whitaker is on board to direct and star in a biopic of jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong that is named after his signature tune, "What a Wonderful World."

The first big screen project to be authorized by the Armstrong estate, "World" will follow the musician's impoverished early years in New Orleans and primarily chronicle his career as a trumpet virtuoso and improvisational singer.

"Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture," said Whitaker, who portrayed jazz great Charlie Parker in "Bird." "He lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world."

Oscar Cohen, executive of the Armstrong estate and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, began working for the musician in the late '40s as his road manager. He'll serve as an executive producer on the project and has granted the filmmakers exclusive access to his personal accounts as well as to letters and other material in the Armstrong archives.

"What a Wonderful World" will begin shooting in the summer in Louisiana. Whitaker's directing credits include "Waiting to Exhale," "Hope Floats" and "First Daughter." He won an Oscar in 2006 for his role as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

Denzel Washington To Star in New Movie.The Hughes Brothers will direct 'Book of Eli'

Oscar winner Denzel Washington will star in the post-apocalyptic drama "Book of Eli."Set to be produced by Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros., "Book of Eli" will be directed by Allen and Albert Hughes ("From Hell").In addition to starring, Washington will also produce along with Joel Silver, Susan Downey and Alcon's Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. Gary Whitta wrote the original story, with rewrites by Andrew Peckham.Washington will play a hero traveling across the devastated American landscape.According to the industry trades, "Book of Eli" will begin shooting in January.Last seen in "American Gangster" and "The Great Debaters," Washington has a remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" set for release next summer.

MEVLIN VAN PEEBLES" GODFATHER OF MODERN BLACK CINEMA"

Most of those familiar with Melvin Van Peebles know him as the driving force behind the incendiary 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. While that revolutionary picture earned Van Peebles the title “godfather of modern black cinema,” the film’s impact extends far beyond blaxploitation genre conventions—Sweetback has proven to be a landmark in both American and independent cinema. Much like the film’s iconoclastic hero (played by Van Peebles himself), a street-smart hustler who single-handedly topples the white Establishment (a.k.a. the Man!), Van Peebles functioned as a virtual one-man studio to make Sweetback. Besides starring in the title role, Van Peebles financed, produced, wrote, directed and scored the picture, which grossed more than $10 million, making it the most successful independent film of its time. What few realize, however, is that filmmaking is but a small part of Van Peebles’ remarkable life. The same dogged, DIY persistence that enabled Van Peebles to make Sweetback is evident in every project he undertakes, artistic or otherwise, and his achievements have in turn inspired legions of like-minded creators, from rap pioneer Gil Scott-Heron to filmmaker Spike Lee. Naturally, by insisting on doing things his way, Van Peebles has stepped on some toes, yet he consistently refuses to back down. “My politics is to win,” Van Peebles declares at the beginning of How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It), a documentary that explores the life and work of this maverick, modern-day Renaissance man. Whether making guerrilla-style films, flying Air Force sorties over the Pacific (ferrying the atom bomb, no less), studying astronomy in Amsterdam, writing novels in self-taught French, composing music (by means of a self-devised notation system), writing musical stage plays (for which he received nine Tony nominations), recording seminal rap albums or trading options on Wall Street, Van Peebles has blazed his own path, making a mark in each endeavor he’s pursued.In How to Eat Your Watermelon… the events of Van Peebles’ life are vividly recounted through interviews with colleagues, contemporaries, critics, family and friends. The film also takes advantage of remarkable archival footage culled from all corners of Van Peebles’ diverse life—ranging from rare interviews on French TV to a hilarious series of opinion pieces culled from his brief foray as a financial-news analyst—to paint a sharp portrait of this unique personality. But How to Eat Your Watermelon… doesn’t merely enumerate Melvin Van Peebles’ artistic glories, nor does it plot a static hagiography of accomplishments; by virtue of original cinema vérité footage shot over the past eight years in the U.S. and France, it constructs a gripping narrative of a restless artist in an often unforgiving world, and reveals that Van Peebles, at age 74, is still a vital creative force who shows no signs of slowing down.How to Eat Your Watermelon… is structured as a conversation, in which an improbably varied cast of characters weaves together a story that constantly builds in intensity and surprise. It’s as if they can’t all be talking about the same person, yet in the absence of a narrator, the audience is repeatedly left to wonder how such dramatic plot turns in the story of one man can be possible. First he’s a grip man on a San Francisco cable car, next he’s writing a book about working on a cable car; then he’s an astronomer in Amsterdam before teaching himself French and publishing five French novels; before long he’s the director of the official French entry in an American film festival—and eventually authoring a book on how to trade stock options on Wall Street. All of these disparate moments coalesce into a story that is nothing short of astonishing. The film comes together gradually as it introduces the “connective tissue” of each episode in Van Peebles’ life: His comfort with the unknown; his ability to create his own working system out of complexities ranging from musical notation to financial analysis; his boundless determination to say something important no matter what the vehicle of expression; his artistic “jujitsu,” by which he confronts the Establishment by using its power against itself.As the story unfolds, a visual mystery is played out as well. At the film’s beginning, we see an unidentified man, his head encased in a massive blue bubble of polyurethane. As the events of Van Peebles’s career unfold, the film periodically returns to two sculptors who are creating a lifelike figure of Melvin for part of an art exhibition paying tribute to blaxploitation cinema. The creation of the sculpture functions as the film’s narrative spine—a vivid metaphorical transitional device linking the distinct chapters in Van Peebles’s life and career. One of the central themes of How to Eat Your Watermelon… is that determination (coupled with talent) trumps adversity every time. As an African-American artist, Van Peebles puts forth a powerful notion about how the battle for true racial equality should unfold, were it to be honest and sincere. In his song “Just Don’t Make No Sense,” Van Peebles takes aim at the presumptions black men in America must face every day: “Frown, you hostile / Smile, you a Tom / Look tired, you on junk / Stumble, you drunk.” Van Peebles typically uses humor to convey his themes, as when he tells the story of how he would spray his office with a watermelon-scented fragrance just before the arrival of “liberal” friends: “They would walk into the office and say, ‘Gee, Mel, what’s that smell? It smells like umm…umm…cantaloupe!’ They were too afraid to say watermelon!”Humorous, serious and incisive, How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) is ultimately a story about the power of fearlessness.

Will Smith to play The Last Pharoah

Will Smith to play the Nubian Pharaoh Taharqa in THE LAST PHARAOH

Hey folks, Harry here... Michael Fleming over at Variety is reporting that Randall Wallace (BRAVEHEART guy) is writing a script for Will Smith and Columbia called THE LAST PHARAOH based upon Taharqa's life as pharaoh of Egypt from 690 BC to 664 BC. His father was a Nubian king that conquered Egypt.
According to Fleming the film is focussing on the battles with Esarhaddon, who ruled the Assyrians at the time. It'll be interesting to see how the film is played out, as historically - Taharqa did defeat the Assyrians on their first battle 677, but just a few years later the Assyrians defeated and conquered Egypt causing Taharqa to flee into lower Egypt, where he caused trouble before ultimately being defeated by Esarhaddon's son Assurbanipal before again fleeing and ultimately dying in his homeland of Nubia. The basic structure is there for a BRAVEHEART style story, but this will be a very challenging role for Will Smith - who will need to shed his very modern feel. But this is exactly the sort of project that I'd like to see him stretch to do! Very interesting project!

How Media Portrays Black Men!

"The Black Image in the White Mind" - a wonderful book and multiple award winner, written by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki, discusses the effects of life in a segregated society. It offers a comprehensive look at the intricate and subtle racial patterns in the mass media and discusses how these powerful images play a significant role in shaping the attitudes of Whites toward Blacks. White Americans, they show, learn about African Americans not through personal relationships, but through the images shown by the media. In addition, they reveal a subtle pattern of images that communicates a racial hierarchy (with Whites on top) and promotes a sense of difference and conflict. Entman and Rojecki illustrate how the television news focus on black poverty and crime is grossly out of proportion with the reality of black life, how use of black 'experts' is limited to 'black-themed' issues, and how 'black politics' are often distorted in the news. In short, they conclude that although there are more images of African-Americans on television now than ever, these images are often harmful to the prospect of unity between the races. A brief summary of some of their findings are listed below:
A mug shot of a Black defendant is 4 times more likely to appear in a local television news report than of a White defendant
The accused is 2 times more likely to be shown physically restrained in a local television news report than when the accused is White
The name of the accused is 2 times more likely to be shown on screen in a local TV news report if the defendant is Black, rather than White
"Telegenic" figures aren't always the most representative leaders though they are presented as if they were. Some statistics from 1994:
40% of Black adults stated that Jesse Jackson represents Black people "very well"
Only 11% of Black adults stated that Louis Farrakhan represents Black people "very well"
22% of Black adults stated they had "never heard of" Louis Farrakhan
Stories about, or soundbites from, Jesse Jackson on ABC World News: 13 versus stories about, or soundbites from, Louis Farrakhan on ABC World News: 25
The media sowed discord during the affirmative action debate of the 1990s despite the considerable common ground between Blacks and Whites. Reporters often predicted affirmative action would be one of the key issues in the 1996 election because of the "rage" among Whites.
A mere 1% percent of survey respondents named affirmative action as their top priority in voting against a presidential candidate
61% percent of White men ("angry" or not) favored affirmative action programs as is or with reforms
76% percent of White women favored affirmative action programs as is or with reforms
Somehow only 12.5% percent of White "persons on the street" were shown to support affirmative action in a sample of network news, while the percentage shown to oppose was 87.5%
While Black actors are now more visible in films, it is an open question as to how well they are being represented. Compare, for example, how Blacks and Whites are portrayed in the top movies of 1996.
Black female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 89%
White female movie characters shown using vulgar profanity: 17%
Black female movie characters shown being physically violent: 56%
White female movie characters shown being physically violent: 11%
Black female movie characters shown being restrained: 55%
White female movie characters shown being restrained: 6% Research findings are reprinted with permission. Copyright notice: 2000 by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki. This text appears on the University of Chicago Press website by permission of the authors. This text may be used and shared in accordance with the fair-use provisions of U.S. copyright law, and it may be archived and redistributed in electronic form, provided that this entire notice, including copyright information, is carried and provided that Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki and the University of Chicago Press are notified and no fee is charged for access. Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this text (or the rest of the text on the website) on other terms, in any medium, requires the consent of Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki.

Antoine Fuquas Youth Film Program

Antoine Fuqua, director of Training Day and Shooter, distributed HD cameras to four young people from the Van Dyke housing projects in Brooklyn on the set of his current production Brooklyn’s Finest. The Van Dyke Youth Film Project, a mentorship program designed to inspire kids to make films, is a joint initiative between Fuqua and producer John Langley. The presentation took place on Monday, June 16 at the Van Dyke Community Center in Brooklyn during a break from the production. Fuqua grew up in the projects in Pittsburgh and wanted to give something back to kids growing up in a similar situation.
The youths were chosen from a pool of fifty who submitted essays on why they wanted to make films and tell stories. The four selected – Tyrell Brown, Bryan Martin, Lea-Sym Feyjoo, and Marcus Underwood - range in age from 16 to 19 and will be mentored by Fuqua and the crew of Brooklyn’s Finest over the next three months as they write, shoot, and edit their own films. Also participating in the program is the film’s screenwriter, Michael Martin, a former transit worker. Martin will help mentor the kids on the scriptwriting component of their projects. Brooklyn’s Finest stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes, Ethan Hawke, and Michael Kenneth Williams.

Hollywood Gets Muslims Wrong, Again!

Traitor: one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty.
Like the protagonist of the movie, Traitor exists with conflicting loyalties and a fleeting sense of fidelity to its honorable yet ultimately porous intentions. The Don Cheadle-headed action/thriller co-written by comedian Steve Martin and director Jeffrey Nachmanoff inelegantly attempts to combine cardboard, blockbuster plot mechanics with the important, philosophical musings of a complicated post 9-11 world.
If anything, this mainstream movie should be commended for having a practicing, religious, African American Muslim as its hero -- one portrayed by a major Hollywood celebrity, no less. Unfortunately, both due to the plot constraints of the movie and today's geo-political realities, this character must reactively and proactively define himself though his actions within yet another "us vs. them" narrative. As such, the quest for a multi-faceted, dynamic Muslim character that is neither a terrorist nor a cab driver continues.
The Muslim and titular "traitor" in question is Samir Horn [Don Cheadle], a Sudanese born, American agent so deep undercover as an Islamic extremist bomb maker that only one government supervisor (Jeff Daniels in a cameo role) knows his true identity. He infiltrates the ranks of a radical movement headed by the mysterious "Nathir," a terrorist group hell bent on striking against infidels (basically, everyone but them). Their mission? To activate sleeper agents -- seemingly ordinary Americans but in reality (gasp -- heartless Muslim terrorists) -- and carry out massive, simultaneous suicide bombings on 50 separate buses.
Is Samir driven by his loyalties to his "brothers" in Islam and so thoroughly entrenched in his covert identity that he will carry out the attacks? Or, will he be loyal to an American government which is simultaneously pursuing him as a high priority terrorist and is also complicit in racial profiling and violence towards the Muslim world?
These timely questions could make for an introspective and layered movie that resonates with the fears and hopes of an international audience. Unfortunately, the filmmakers, or perhaps their Hollywood producers, jettison these aspects of the movie for a streamlined "catch the terrorists before they terrorize us" plot that was already beaten to death by Showtime's Sleeper Cell and every single season of Fox's 24.
Although Traitor aims for a The Departed meets Paradise Lost setup, it fails to work as both a cat-and-mouse thriller and a reflective identity drama. Cheadle underplays his role with a somber anguish that emphasizes Samir's turmoil as he falls rapidly into his "role" as bomb maker and "jihadi" recruiter. But an actor can only work with the solid, creative foundation a director and a script can provide.
The characters in the movie, particularly Muslim ones, become less human as the film progresses and morph into Wikipedia sound bites. You know the type too well: characters who randomly and unrealistically interrupt their speeches with info-tainment, such as explanations of jihad, translations of Quran verses, botched Islamic prayers and inopportune vernacular. This is Hollywood's casual way of placating a skeptical, progressive audience. "See! We did our homework and rented some Muslim advisors! We know all about Quran and Hadith and Sunnah! Right? Great! Ok, let's continue and show Muslims blow up stuff!"
One of Traitor's tragic flaws is Hollywood's century old myopia, placing a shining minority citizen amidst a sea of his depraved brethren. The "Good Darkie" then battles for the souls and minds of the "Evil Darkies." Cheadle's Samir is a devout Muslim whose religious discipline is displayed continuously and even admired by other characters. He prays five times a day; he fasts; he abstains from alcohol and so forth. Meanwhile, every other Muslim character seems transplanted from dated 80's action movies and True Lies.
You have the English speaking, well-coiffed terrorist who poses as an elite aristocrat in Europe, but whose sole purpose is the destruction of the infidels. Then there's the terrorist henchmen, a classic Hollywood staple, which is basically a United Nations coalition of mute, scary looking Middle Eastern, Persian and South Asian men. A young, good-looking French kid eagerly and quickly embraces the jihadi cause after a clichéd and uninspiring recruitment speech. And another major supporting character, Omar (played by perennial "go to terrorist actor" Said Taghmaoui), is a European educated, chess-loving jihadist, who Samir befriends in Yemen.
The beginning of the movie, which focuses on Samir and Omar's friendship while doing hard time in a Yemeni prison shows glimpses of what could have been before the movie became buried under an avalanche of clichés. Omar and Samir discuss theology and spirituality, bouncing off each other's philosophical outlook on life, all while playing chess. They are excellent foils for one another and the movie has fleeting scenes building on their friendship, even though it is eventually uprooted by Samir's betrayal. Instead, Omar becomes yet another substitute terrorist plot device as the movie lapses into "Muslim Bourne Identity" territory.
Speaking of foils, talented actor Guy Pearce portrays an FBI agent named Clayton, who is hot on Samir's trail. In an attempt to show balance, the filmmakers portray Clayton as a Texan (one with a really bad Southern accent), and a highly educated son of a Baptist preacher who studied Arabic and religious studies in college. Aside from giving the movie its necessary cop-who-hunts-terrorist role, Clayton is also a metaphor for the tolerant American who is willing to see beyond race and religion. Clayton's nemesis is his partner Archer, a Dirty Harry, shoot-first ask-questions-later" FBI agent, who lacks cultural awareness and appreciation for the nuances of Islamic traditions.
This is all well intended, but characters need to be independent, living creations, not just convenient messages. When Archer says or does something politically incorrect, Clayton calmly educates him. When Archer lambastes Islam as a religion of terrorism, Clayton reminds him that the Klu Klux Klan rationalized their abhorrent behavior with the Bible and that extremist minorities don't define a religion. And then they continue with the stereotypical plot, hunting down enraged Muslim terrorists. The message of the film is lost due to its inability to define its good intentions with realistic characters and meaningful dialogue, substituted instead with tense chase sequences. This point is highlighted by what is the film's most egregious and unintentional characterization: the depiction of the sleeper agents. For a movie that tries to have its tolerance cake and blow it up as well, the filmmakers dangerously depict an America that is heavily infiltrated with assimilated Muslim American citizens who -- at the drop of a dime -- are ready to carry out suicide, terrorist missions. From a South Asian government official to an unassuming, light-skinned college student to an Arab husband and father to an African-American businessman -- all magically jettison their lives, careers and loved ones as soon as "Nathir" contacts them for a mission.
For those in America ignorant about Islam and Muslims, it reinforces paranoia and mistrust, making it seem like your harmless Muslim neighbors, teachers, friends and lovers are all [cue drum roll and melodramatic music] terrorists! The film's supporters will likely argue that the sophisticated characterization of Cheadle's Samir counteracts this evil.
But is Samir the shining Muslim definitive of the moderate majority, or merely an aberration that exists within the confines of a Hollywood narrative? Traitor aims for the former but unintentionally delivers the latter. Much like the character Samir, it loses itself in an unfulfilling dual identity, one that betrays its noble intentions and refuses to fully commit to its convictions -- either as a mindless action thriller or a thought provoking drama.

See more stories tagged with: muslims, hollywood, film, traitor
Wajahat Ali is a playwright, essayist, humorist, and Attorney at Law, whose work, “The Domestic Crusaders” is the first major play about Muslim Americans living in a post 9-11 America.

Birth of an Industry

In 1915, D. W. Griffith dropped a blockbuster on America - "Birth of a Nation." Considering the primitive, one-dimensional movies that had been released to that point, the film was an absolute masterpiece; some of the techniques Griffith invented for the film are still in use today. The film cost $110,000 to produce in 1915, with ticket prices of two bucks a head at the box office. It was more than three hours long, compared to the 15-minute shorts most people were used to.
Comparatively speaking, it was all three "Lord of the Rings" films at once with a ticket price of $20. It was the most vile, disgusting racist propaganda piece put together outside of Nazi Germany.
In the film, the "good" blacks were those who stayed on the plantations; the rest were out wandering around jobless, beating up white men and raping white women. The Northerners were happy they did this and encouraged it. The Southerners put together a team of masked Zorros to fight only for what was fair and right for the downtrodden Southern whites. They were called the Ku Klux Klan.
To this day, there are people who hold that this was a semi-historical representation of the acts of the Klan. Bunk.
The first Klan mentioned in the link above is the one that Griffith romanticized; it was made illegal by the federal government as a terrorist group. The rise of the second one mentioned could be directly attributed to the romantic picture Griffith painted of the lost institution.
Not unexpectedly, the black community was alarmed and disgusted by their portrayal in Griffith's film. The almost immediate renewal of violence towards blacks that accompanied the film made it clear that the message of "Birth of a Nation" had to be countered.
Emmett J. Scott, former secretary to Booker T. Washington, took it upon himself to get the opposing view onto celluloid. Raising more than half a million dollars - five times Griffith's budget - partially by selling stock in the venture, Scott envisioned "Birth of a Race." It would be an impassioned cry for tolerance and understanding, a film that would show that there was no difference between blacks and whites, and the suffering of one was the same as the suffering of the other...
Well, that was the idea, anyway.
What idealist Scott didn't realize was that the people who ponied up all that money wanted their money back, and they weren't all that hot on the box-office possibilities of noble black folks. As inevitably as any blockbuster made today, legions of share-owning idea men chimed in with their two cents, with nearly every one of them shying away from controversy that might cost them dollars in the box office. By the time "Birth of a Race" was finally released, the film was the equivalent of a three-hour school play about the history of the world, completely void of hard edges. It died a quick and inoffensive death, and of the three hours of original footage, only ten minutes remain today - usually seen only as a cheap add-on to the video release of the film that inspired it.
On the bright side for Scott, his idealism served him well. When WWI rolled around he was appointed special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of War in charge of Negro Affairs, making sure that the black men in the service got a fair shake. Afterwards, he held positions as secretary, treasurer and business manager at Howard University. He wrote "Scott's Official History of the American Negro in World War I," a reference still used today.
Which is very good and well, but Scott still blew the chance to rebut "Birth of a Nation." Fortunately, there were others who came after to take up the slack.
If "Birth of a Race" did not start - or empower - black cinema, it did mark the point at which black cinema was widely recognized as a necessary extension of the black American community. With no high-flown expectations of changing whites' attitudes or fighting the Hollywood machine, black cinema began to serve the black community in the same way Hollywood served the whites - by providing drama, comedy and entertainment to serve their respective audiences

HATTIE McDANIEL

McDaniel came to Hollywood in the late 1920’s after being born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. She struggled upward from roles in road companies being cast as everything from “colored Sophie Tucker” to the “female Bert Williams”- to appearances on radio and then finally parts in the movies. She was often criticized because of her stereotyped characters, she answered her critics by saying, “Why should I complain about making seven thousand dollars a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making seven dollars a week actually being one!” Her comment gave a vivid picture of the options made available to black performers in the early 1900’s. McDaniel played the fussy, boisterous, big bosomed maid time and time again, using the stereotyped figure to display her remarkable talent for pure comedy. With distinctive aggressiveness and her stupendous sonic boom of a voice, she created rich, dazzling characterizations. She was typed as a mammy. A powerfully built woman that was one of the screen’s greatest presences. Hattie accomplished some amazing achievements during her reign. In 1936 she appeared in 11 films a few of them were: The First Baby, Show Boat, Hearts Divided, High Tension and Star for The Night. This didn’t stop in 1937 McDaniel appeared in 7 more films. The next great highlight in Hattie’s life perhaps became one of the greatest highlights in African American cinema. This highlight was in 1939 when she became the first African American to win an Academy Award. She won this award for being Best Supporting Actress in the excellent film Gone With The Wind. Up until this point audiences was unaware of what a great performer she was.

Urbanworld Social NetWorking

Social Networks: The new little black book. by Adam Root, Creative Director in charge of Urbanworld.org
August 19, 2008
Before the contact databases, PDA’s, and Rolodex™ there was the little black book. Loaded with all your powerful and often secret contacts, or the names and phone numbers of your girl friends. The little black book was a valuable resource. However it was static- nothing more than a container of information. Today software such as ACT™, Salesforce.com™, or Mircosoft™ CRM are only containers of information.
Social networking is a dynamic alternative to the little black book. According to comScore Networks membership rates on Myspace is increasing at an average annual growth rate of 512% giving you the ability to connect with over 225 million users today. Rival Facebook is increasing at 550% per year followed by Linked-in at 182% per year.
Professional social networks provide an opportunity for an advertising vertical. Plaxo has the Plaxo Pulse, Linked-In has Network Updates. At a basic level the Pulse and Network Updates are status updates similar to a micro-blog tool such as Twitter. However the potential exists to use the available services to inform your connections about product discounts, blog posts, and other information related to your business.
At Urbanworld we have already created a platform for you to market your film. At My Urbanworld, you can post blogs, upload video, and message other film makers in the community.
So what are you waiting for? Join the integrated media revolution, and watch your business grow.
Not sure where to get started? Friend me up on twitter and I’ll show you how.

Being black in Hollywood still ,exception not the rule

By Nicole SaidiCNN



(CNN) -- Will Smith has made epic blockbusters a Fourth of July tradition, and Denzel Washington is one of the most recognized faces in show business.

But according to some iReporters who watched CNN's "Black in America," these well-known actors' roles are not typical of how black people are shown on TV and in the movies.
Brad Bailey of Los Angeles, California, was one of the many viewers of the two-part documentary who continued the dialogue on iReport.com. The overwhelming response prompted CNN to initiate deeper explorations into the issues touched during the show.
Bailey held a viewing party at his home with friends who have been involved in acting and film production. He concluded that while he thought the documentary covered about as much ground as a special can, one of the issues remaining to be addressed was the image of blacks projected into theaters and living rooms.
Bailey says there aren't enough black roles on TV and in movies, which deprives people of all races from seeing black people in non-stereotypical roles or having their appearance become a normal, everyday aspect of filmmaking. Actors, too, struggle when they can't fit narrowly prescribed roles. iReport.com: See stories about being black in America
He cites a lack of black screenwriters as contributing to underrepresentation of blacks on television.
"For me, I think it's about who creates these roles," Bailey said. "I've only been successful when it came to roles that were specifically designed for being black."
Bailey himself has been on multiple sides of the same coin. He's auditioned for roles in the past as well as made his own projects. Now, he's moved to a documentary focus.iReport.com: Watch the discussion that went on at Bailey's viewing party
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Blacks have a harder time fitting into roles than most people in an already-tough acting market, he said.
The Yale and Princeton graduate recalls one occasion when he auditioned for a role as an Ivy League "secret society type." He figured he'd have a good shot since he'd been in a secret society himself. He didn't get the role and noticed that it was given to a blond-haired white man.
"They were looking for the stereotypical version of what Ivy League was 50 years ago," Bailey said.
Still, no one ever came out and said why the choice was made, and he can only assume the reason behind the selection.
"Nobody ever says that directly," Bailey said. "They sort of go around it in coded language in order to say that."
He said he's had trouble auditioning for roles in which he would be dating a white person or married to a white person because directors look to match couples who look alike. People aren't used to interracial couples, but he thinks this image would change if people saw it more often.
"Maybe just seeing those pictures up there, maybe they won't react so strongly to it," he said.
Robyn McGee of Long Beach, California, singled out black women as a misrepresented group in film and television. Female film roles are prone to stereotype, she said.iReport.com: See how McGee feels about black female stereotypes
She conceded that Smith's appearances in diverse films such as "Independence Day," "Men in Black," "I Am Legend" and "Hancock" were groundbreaking. Notably, Halle Berry won an Oscar in 2002 and Jennifer Hudson did so as well in 2007. But she said these examples of achievement are unique and must be built upon.
"Frequently, black women are still portrayed as loud, bossy or fat," she said. "The Pine Sol lady in commercials is a throwback to this mammy stereotype."
McGee wrote a book about black women's body images in 2005 and says she takes great interest in the subject of their appearances in film and TV.
She sent a photo of herself with her family and asked fellow iReporters, "Why are black women portrayed on TV, the movies, in magazines and online as loud, angry and desperate for love?"
Music videos of the 1990s influenced a new interpretation of women on TV in roles she characterizes as "hypersexual gold diggers."
These images, as well as portrayals of young black men, contribute to an identity crisis for teens in search of role models, says Beto Mario Lopez of Oakland, California.
Lopez said actors like Smith and Washington have carved a niche for themselves, but they don't speak to younger audiences the way TV and hip-hop culture do. Teens may feel like they have to act a certain way to fit in, when they might otherwise prefer a different style, he said.
"Kids are growing up today thinking you have to be hip-hop," Lopez said. "You've got regular 16-year-olds ... they're taking it too far with what you see on television."
He wishes more diverse filmmaking was available and said Spike Lee's comments in the special struck a chord. During his appearance in "Black in America," Lee said he has an easier time obtaining funding for projects including black stereotypes than for films that tackle more nuanced subject matter.iReport.com: Watch Lopez talk about Spike Lee's interview and the perils of filmmaking
Young black males need to look at the media and see something with which they can identify, he said. Instead, he feels black men are portrayed in a negative light.
"You think, 'Oh look, there's another stereotype of a black going through problems.' "
Bailey said the importance of film imagery can't be ignored. He feels people are used to seeing black people as policemen, for example, but not necessarily in other capacities.
Everyone needs to see diverse representation in films for their own education, he said, and this need spreads beyond the United States.
"Hollywood starts these trends, but in these instances popular culture reacts to them," Bailey said. "Those images that are projected on screen are projected to the rest of the world."

The Roots Of Black Cinema

THE ROOTS OF BLACK CINEMA
"Only when you attempt the impossible do you test the resources of God."

OSCAR MICHEAUX
Did you know the first all black cast film was made in 1919 (“The Homesteader”) by filmmaker great Oscar Micheaux? Micheaux was the first man to produce a full-length, eight-reel, all-Black film, and the first Black to write and publish a best-selling novel--with a circulation of over 55,000. Micheaux stated:
I'm tired of reading about the Negro in an inferior position in society. I want to see them in dignified roles...Also, I want to see the white man and the white woman as the villains...I want to see the Negro pictured in books just like he lives...
Micheaux is a true African American film and literature pioneer. Did you know Cicely Tyson was the first dark complexion African American actress that became a mainstream reoccurring star which broke barriers for various actresses today (being dark was not one of Hollywood’s standards for a leading role in television and film in the early 1900’s)? Even though Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar for her supporting role in “Gone With The Wind” in 1939 Hollywood still wasn’t ready to embrace dark complexion actors and actresses until much later. These accomplishments by Blacks were often excluded from history books and classrooms but AACG seeks to educate our youth and adults of all races and creeds about these achievements.