Wednesday Open Thread | Music of the 1980’s

Posted on July 29, 2015 by rikyrah

More with the Top 10 Billboard Singles from the 1980’s.

Today – 1987

Position Artist Song Title
1 Bangles —- Walk Like An Egyptian
2 Heart —- Alone
3 Gregory Abbott —- Shake You Down
4 Whitney Houston —- I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
5 Starship —- Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
6 Robbie Nevil —- C’est La Vie
7 Whitesnake —- Here I Go Again
8 Bruce Hornsby and The Range —- The Way It Is
9 Bob Seger —- Shakedown
10 Bon Jovi —- Livin’ On A Prayer

 

 

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64 Responses to Wednesday Open Thread | Music of the 1980’s

  2. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 8:27 pm

    New poll

    Reuters..,national poll

    Trump on top.
    Jeb second
    Trump double what Jeb has

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA H AH AH AHA

    Reply
  3. Ametia says:
    July 29, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    what’s with all the media tears & outrage over a white MINNESOTAN MALE dentist killing a LION in Zimbabwe?

    All LIONS’ LIVES MATTER. There fixed it!

    SMGDH

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      July 30, 2015 at 12:18 pm

      Ametia, I don’t watch cable news, but I am plenty outraged by the killing of the protected lion. The dentist is a rich white guy, a psychopath, who wants to kill for pleasure and thought he found a “legal” way to do it. So, he claims to be a “big game hunter” who kills endangered animals for whatever pleasure his sick mind gets from it. I’m sure it makes him feel like a big man to kill an animal that could eat him for lunch on a fair playing field. This kind of evil emanates from the same place as the evil that makes a racist white boy cop want to kill a black man, it just manifests itself in a different way because the dentist had access to different resources, one of which is a lot of money.

      Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 30, 2015 at 3:56 pm

      As heinous as the killing of Cecil the lion is, what boggles the mind and frankly saddens and inflames, is the amount of expressed outrage vis a vis that for black people murdered by police in the same time period.

      The number of ‘celebrities’ chiming in, rallying for Cecil the lion, calling for the dentist’s head, demanding justice for Cecil the lion, and putting together aid for wildlife conservation, is clearly once again, disproportionate to any if at all expressed for Sandra and all the unarmed black people murdered by police.

      The very most you’ve gotten from ‘celebrities’ except of course a bold, fearless, honest activist like Jesse Williams, is maybe a few hash-tagging #SandraBland, or #sayhername – or one or two retweeting something someone else tweeted with something like “wow”. That’s it.

      Not an expression of sorrow at the loss of life, not a single demand for police to do better, not a penny to help Sandra’s family or any of the families of the murdered victims who clearly can use the financial help. Nothing.

      And then we have Jimmy Kimmel, one of the most sadistic people crying for Cecil the lion, but not one mention ever of Sandra Bland – let alone a tear for her..

      But Jimmy Kimmel isn’t racist, he’s really good friends with one or two black actresses who mutually exploit themselves for their own selfish purposes.

      For the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, Sharon Osbourne etc., Sandra Bland’s life isn’t worth a headline, outrage, or a tear.

      Reply
      • Liza says:
        July 30, 2015 at 8:22 pm

        I see your point, Eli. My TV watching is pretty much limited to the WORLD channel and “Democracy Now.” I wasn’t aware of what celebrities were saying. What I have always observed is that celebrities will only align themselves with “safe” issues because they are always fearful of losing their fans and the source of revenue that supports their privileged lifestyles. So, it is safe for them to be outraged about Cecil. This also gives them an opportunity to hawk themselves, to be seen, to be assured they are famous, etc… I wonder how much many of these folks actually care about the lion or conservation and wildlife issues in general.

        I guess I just have really low expectations of those kind of folks. Celebrities are truly a very poor conduit for important information, but with some exceptions, of course. Their motives are just too self-serving.

        What is worrisome, however, is that most politicians are trying to avoid taking a stand on these police murders of unarmed black citizens and just about every other problem in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Mass incarceration is slowly becoming a “safe” issue because PBO waded into those waters and made it safe. But even though we don’t hear anything right now, the black vote is just too important to Democratic candidates, so you can bet they are in the backroom trying to figure out how they are going to address these issues. Ultimately, there is no way they can avoid it.

        Reply
  9. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    this is what cold blooded murder looks like
    By Nerdy Wonka

    Eric
    This rash of police murders of unarmed AA citizens is the perfect illustration of the institutional racism against Black folks that has plagued this country since its founding. The predominate view among cops in this country is that Black life is worthless. They kill a Black person with all the emotion exhibited in killing a fly. This dehumanization finds its roots in chattel slavery, where the ruthless exploitation of Black slaves required the oppressor strip the oppressed of his/her humanity. While I am glad the prosecutor decided to do the right thing and find his statements welcome, we must accept that this is an anomaly, a break from the norm. The swiftness of his decision tells me that the Baltimore Prosecutor Mosby set a precedent that is being followed. Her bravery and truth telling has thankfully inspired imitation. I also think that the Baltimore rebellion (I reject the “riot” label the oppressor uses) and the fear of further Black rebellions has made “doing the right thing” a bit easier (opposed to the “always back the cop” status quo). As has always been the case, the family of the latest victim is pleading for peaceful protests. God are we a forgiving people. These families are to be commended for their collective GRACE and selflessness. I fear however that if these police murders of unarmed Black citizens continues the odds are one victim’s family will advocate a violent response which could ignite a racial powder keg in this country. With each police murder, the fuse is getting shorter and shorte

    http://theobamadiary.com/2015/07/29/this-is-what-cold-blooded-murder-looks-like/

    Reply
  10. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    SiriusXM Urban View @SXMUrbanView
    “The truth is, prostate cancer affects African American men more than anybody else” @nilerodgers on @karenhunter show #KarenRebels

    Reply
  11. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Guardian US ✔ @GuardianUS
    William R White, former member of the Tuskegee Airmen, dies aged 88 http://trib.al/lZpH618

    Reply
  13. Kathleen says:
    July 29, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Here’s a musical project Sam DuBose was working on:

    https://soundcloud.com/donte-fleming/none-like-u-featuring-sam-dubose-hannah

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 29, 2015 at 3:24 pm

      “…he was about to be a stereotype…”

      That just about sums it up. But no more. We are all waking up and refusing to let them stereotype us as an excuse to kill and destroy us.

      Reply
    • Liza says:
      July 29, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      What really frightens me is that we can only imagine the number of bad cops out there. And there are degrees, of course. Not all bad cops are willing to kill for sport, just to watch someone die, but the question seems to be, how many cops are capable of a cold blooded murder? The evidence just keeps piling on.

      Reply
    • Kathleen says:
      July 29, 2015 at 4:39 pm

      I loved how she called out the media for reporting his arrest record and trying to make him look like a “thug”. She is so powerful and eloquent.

      Reply
  16. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    Amarlie @marabout40

    The cop who backed up #Tensing’s lie that he was dragged should be arrested too! He’s an accomplice to murder! #SamDubose

    Reply
    • Kathleen says:
      July 29, 2015 at 4:42 pm

      Prosecutor Joe Deters said he may charge him. I live in Cincinnati so I’ve been following this very closely all day. Deters also wants Cincinnati Police to take over policing of UC campus because he doesn’t feel UC cops are trained well enough to do the job. A UC cop also tasered a young man on campus, who died. This was a few years ago.

      Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    the other one @imfromraleigh

    #SamDubose was so compliant. So respectful. He apologized for not having his license. What the fuck man. What the fuck.

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      July 29, 2015 at 2:32 pm

      Amarlie @marabout40

      The cop who backed up #Tensing’s lie that he was dragged should be arrested too! He’s an accomplice to murder! #SamDubose

      Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 11:23 am

    Chaka Fattah indicted in racketeering scheme

    By Eric Bradner, CNN

    Updated 12:20 PM ET, Wed July 29, 2015

    U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah has been indicted on racketeering charges tied to a host of campaign finance schemes, according to the Department of Justice. The Philadelphia Democrat faces 29 charges tied to his 2007 campaign for mayor

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/politics/congressman-chaka-fattah-indicted-racketeering/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_allpolitics+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Politics%29

    Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 11:20 am

    July 28, 2015
    Top GOP fundraiser calls on Sen. Mark Kirk to step down. Then takes it back.
    Comments Email Print

    GREG HINZ ON POLITICS

    One of the Illinois GOP’s premiere fundraisers has called on U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., to abandon his re-election race, saying it likely is unwinnable. The statement is spurring a flurry of phone calls and activity among worried Republicans.

    In a development that could help determine which party will control the U.S. Senate after the 2016 elections, veteran GOP fundraiser Ron Gidwitz said in an interview today that though Kirk is “a patriot and an accomplished public servant,” he will be hobbled by a series of recent verbal gaffes that have undermined public confidence in his ability to serve.

    “His misstatements put him and the Illinois Republican Party in too much of a defensive position” in what remains a predominantly Democratic state, Gidwitz told me in a phone interview. “I do not believe he will be a U.S. senator in 2017 and, as top of the ticket, he could cause collateral damage (to other Republican candidates). I call on him to step aside and allow other Republicans to seek his seat.”

    After I called Kirk’s office for a response, Gidwitz called me back and said he’d like to “retract” the statement. “I’m having second thoughts.” But he confirmed that “I said it. I said it thoughtfully,” and he acknowledged he’d received “quite a number” of high-level phone calls in just an hour. “I don’t want to take the heat I’ll get.”

    Kirk, who suffered a severe stroke four years ago, had little response. His spokesman Kevin Artl said only that Kirk and Gidwitz have had a cool relationship in recent years.

    Gidwitz was remarkably candid. But what he said today only echoes what some other Republican leaders are saying in private after Kirk in recent weeks referred to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as “a bro’ with no ho”; said President Barack Obama wants “to get nukes to Iran”; and questioned at a Senate hearing whether a federal financial unit is acting like the Chinese intelligence service and collecting information on members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

    “Kirk has always had a big mouth,” said one major party backer in Illinois who asked to remain anonymous, referring to an episode six years ago when Kirk exaggerated his service as a military intelligence officer. “But it’s gotten worse.”

    http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150728/BLOGS02/150729808/gop-fundraiser-gidwitz-calls-on-mark-kirk-to-abandon-reelection-race?X-IgnoreUserAgent=1&X-IgnoreUserAgent=1&CSAuthResp=1%3A173580828881915%3A519584%3A33%3A24%3Aapproved%3A0D698D86B9486C9C45FCC9A66E253F83&=

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 11:18 am

    The Obama cabinet secretary the GOP can’t help but like
    07/29/15 11:20 AM
    By Steve Benen
    When an important international agreement is being negotiated, it stands to reason that diplomats will do most of the heavy lifting, But as the P5+1 nuclear deal was coming together, it wasn’t just Secretary of State John Kerry helping lead the talks – Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz played a critical role, offering scientific and technical expertise that made a real difference.

    By most measures, the Secretary of Energy is not one of a cabinet’s high-profile roles. I quizzed myself last night, trying to think of how many of Moniz’s predecessors I could name from memory, only two – Steven Chu and Bill Richardson – came to mind.

    And yet, all of a sudden, Ernest Moniz is drawing raves, even from White House critics who generally have no use for members of President Obama’s cabinet. The Washington Post reported yesterday:
    He’s blinding them with science. Or intellectually charming them anyway. That’s how Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz seems to be winning fans in the difficult fight to sell the Iran deal on Capitol Hill, even as skeptical lawmakers reserve plenty of vitriol for his partner on the journey, Secretary of State John Kerry.

    Moniz, a nuclear physicist with mad-scientist hair, has already been credited as the administration’s secret weapon in the lengthy negotiations to secure an Iran deal that will prevent the rogue country from securing a nuclear weapon.
    It was surprising to see just how many congressional Republicans were willing to go on the record praising Moniz. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), for example, had positive things to say about the Energy Secretary following a closed-door briefing. So did Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.).

    Even Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) “can’t help but speak well of Moniz.”

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-obama-cabinet-secretary-the-gop-cant-help

    Reply
  24. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 11:08 am

    President Obama ✔ @POTUS

    We could eliminate tuition at every public college and university in America with the $80 billion we spend each year on incarcerations.

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      July 29, 2015 at 10:49 am

      When I heard about this yesterday, I was at a loss for words to say about that dentist. It is hard to imagine a human (?) in the 21st century who is more despicable, more defective, more of a sociopath, more of a greedy, arrogant piece of sh!t. He’s right up there with anyone who murders for pleasure, and that is about as bad as you can get on this earth.

      Reply
    • Liza says:
      July 29, 2015 at 11:56 am

      Actually, the killer is a psychopath.

      How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath
      Understanding important distinctions between criminal sociopaths and psychopaths Post published by Scott A. Bonn Ph.D. on Jan 22, 2014 in Wicked Deeds
      …
      Sociopaths tend to be nervous and easily agitated. They are volatile and prone to emotional outbursts, including fits of rage. They are likely to be uneducated and live on the fringes of society, unable to hold down a steady job or stay in one place for very long. It is difficult but not impossible for sociopaths to form attachments with others. Many sociopaths are able to form an attachment to a particular individual or group, although they have no regard for society in general or its rules. In the eyes of others, sociopaths will appear to be very disturbed. Any crimes committed by a sociopath, including murder, will tend to be haphazard, disorganized and spontaneous rather than planned.

      Psychopaths, on the other hand, are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, although they often have disarming or even charming personalities. Psychopaths are very manipulative and can easily gain people’s trust. They learn to mimic emotions, despite their inability to actually feel them, and will appear normal to unsuspecting people. Psychopaths are often well educated and hold steady jobs. Some are so good at manipulation and mimicry that they have families and other long-term relationships without those around them ever suspecting their true nature.

      When committing crimes, psychopaths carefully plan out every detail in advance and often have contingency plans in place. Unlike their sociopathic counterparts, psychopathic criminals are cool, calm, and meticulous. Their crimes, whether violent or non-violent, will be highly organized and generally offer few clues for authorities to pursue. Intelligent psychopaths make excellent white-collar criminals and “con artists” due to their calm and charismatic natures.
      …
      Psychopathy is the most dangerous of all antisocial personality disorders because of the way psychopaths dissociate emotionally from their actions, regardless of how terrible those actions may be. Many prolific and notorious serial killers, including the late Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, and Dennis Rader (“Bind, Torture, Kill” or BTK) are unremorseful psychopaths. Psychopathic killers view their innocent victims as inhuman objects to be tormented and violated for their amusement.
      …
      https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/how-tell-sociopath-psychopath

      Reply
      • eliihass says:
        July 29, 2015 at 3:08 pm

        “…Psychopaths, on the other hand, are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, although they often have disarming or even charming personalities. Psychopaths are very manipulative and can easily gain people’s trust. They learn to mimic emotions, despite their inability to actually feel them, and will appear normal to unsuspecting people. Psychopaths are often well educated and hold steady jobs. Some are so good at manipulation and mimicry that they have families and other long-term relationships without those around them ever suspecting their true nature.

        Unlike their sociopathic counterparts, psychopathic criminals are cool, calm, and meticulous. Their crimes, whether violent or non-violent, will be highly organized and generally offer few clues for authorities to pursue. Intelligent psychopaths make excellent white-collar criminals and “con artists” due to their calm and charismatic natures….”

        There are far too many to be found in the upper echelons of our society…They abound in our politics, our bureaucracy, our entertainment industry…

        Psychopathy is the most dangerous of all antisocial personality disorders indeed. You never really see them coming, but in spite of their well-laid plans, if you look close enough, some things just don’t add up with most psychopaths…There are telltale signs to be seen – for people with eyes…

        Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 10:13 am

    GOP rolls out new Obamacare repeal gambit
    07/29/15 09:20 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Last month’s Supreme Court ruling seemed to serve as a coda in the mind-numbing political fight over the Affordable Care Act. The legal questions have been resolved; the ACA is working effectively for consumers; polls show increasing support for the law and the U.S. system; and it was painfully obvious that the “Obamacare repeal” crusaders need a new hobby.

    And yet, Republicans just can’t help themselves. Bloomberg Politics reported late yesterday:
    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell championed a renewed push to bypass a filibuster and repeal Obamacare with 51 votes on Tuesday, he announced in a joint statement with Utah Senator Mike Lee, one of the most conservative Republicans in the chamber.

    “Republicans are united in working to repeal the broken promises of Obamacare,” McConnell said in the statement, adding that the Senate will “continue our effort to use reconciliation … to fulfill the promise we made to our constituents.”
    The legislative maneuvering gets a little tricky, but here’s the gist: GOP lawmakers realize that if they bring up a bill in the Senate to repeal the ACA and strip millions of Americans of their health care benefits, Senate Democrats will filibuster. There are 54 Republicans in the chamber, not 60, so this won’t work.

    But under Congress’ often bizarre budget rules, lawmakers can sometimes pursue their goals through the “reconciliation” process, which bypasses filibusters.

    If Senate Dems can’t block the GOP scheme, does this mean the plan has a legitimate shot?

    Not really. President Obama would still veto any repeal bill that reaches his desk, and far-right members couldn’t come close to overriding the White House.

    But Roll Call notes a more amusing problem for Republicans.
    Using reconciliation rules is also fraught with other problems, most notably that reconciliation is supposed to be used to reduce the deficit, and repealing the law in its entirety, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would increase the deficit, even when Republican-mandated dynamic scoring is applied. […]

    On the thorny deficit question, [the far-right activist group, Heritage Action] suggests overcoming that by having the Senate Budget Committee not use the official CBO score of a repeal but instead come up with its own score.
    It’s easy to laugh at the ridiculous lengths conservatives are prepared to go to take families’ health care benefits away, but what’s especially important about this is the degree to which it’s a dry-run for 2017.\

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-rolls-out-new-obamacare-repeal-gambit

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      July 29, 2015 at 11:53 am

      ZANDAR is from the area and here’s his comment on BJ:

      The various reactions by Mayor Cranley, Police Chief Blackwell, and City Manager Black tells me that 1) the body camera video is explosively bad, and 2) that there’s little question that Officer Ray Tensing is in a world of trouble. For this administration to go into damage control mode before the video is even made public tells me Cranley, Blackwell, and probably the city council as well are all terrified of the city’s reaction to this, and after the 2001 protests they are painfully aware of what can go wrong.

      Cranley in particular is arrogant, even when he’s beaten, full of bravado and noise. You have only to look at how he’s the champion of “fixing” Cincinnati’s streetcar program after running on killing the streetcar two years ago and the City Council told him to screw off. Now Cranley’s acting like he’s the voice of reason and is the one making the streetcar “work” when it would otherwise be a mess. He’s more than happy to take credit for “reforming” it these days, as a watchdog for taxpayers.

      But for Cranley to go into damage control mode publicly without being pushed by protesters and national press? Cranley’s not even attempting to fight this. I don’t think Cranley is overreacting at all, because I think the body camera video of the stop must clearly show that Tensing murdered DuBose. Devil’s advocacy says Cranley is blaming the black community here for anything bad ahead of time and is engaged in epic obfuscation of his posterior region, but that’s so obvious and cynical a ploy that it’ll never work. What’s on this body camera footage has the ambitious mayor of a pretty decently-sized Midwestern city preparing for major unrest without a single second of video being public yet. That sounds like resigned defeat to me.

      Usually you have local governments prevaricating and qualifying things, “I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation” or “We’re still looking at all the evidence” or “You’ll have to talk to UC President Santa Ono about this”, and for Santa Ono to be openly talking about reforming the campus police rather than having to be forced into reforms and the defense attorney for the University saying that he expects an indictment is amazing. Remember, this is a cop, and 99% of the time police are never convicted of murder of citizens, especially black citizens, and the trial, if there even is one, is just for show.

      This is starting to look like it might be the 1% where justice actually happens. The Cincinnati Enquirer is suing for the release of the video, but the news now that the grand jury expects to wrap up this week and that the video will be released is very strange and almost too orderly. It’s like the entire city administration is getting out in front of something horrific that hasn’t gone public yet. This just doesn’t happen, even with Cincy’s history of post-2001 police reform, and Chief Blackwell’s crusade to make the police more accountable. You always deny, deny, deny and circle the wagons, not, you know, do the right thing.

      Reply
  35. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 29, 2015 at 9:59 am

    deray mckesson retweeted
    WCPO ‏@WCPO 7m7 minutes ago
    Prosecutor’s office: UC body cam video will be released at noon on Thursday. #SamDubose

    Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 9:41 am

    Mama used to say – tell the truth…nothing to remember. Tell a lie, and you have to remember it, when you tell another. Too much trouble to tell lies.

    …………………………………………………..

    Tragedy of ‘golden’ daughter’s fall resonates with Asian immigrant children
    By Yanan Wang July 27

    For a while, Jennifer Pan’s parents regarded her as their “golden” child.

    The young Canadian woman, who lived in the city of Markham just north of Toronto, was a straight A student at a Catholic school who won scholarships and early acceptance to college. True to her father’s wishes, she graduated from the University of Toronto’s prestigious pharmacology program and went on to work at a blood-testing lab at SickKids hospital.

    Pan’s accomplishments used to make her mother and father, Bich Ha and Huei Hann Pan, brim with pride. After all, they had arrived in Toronto as refugees from Vietnam, working as laborers for an auto parts manufacturer so their two kids could have the bright future that they couldn’t attain for themselves.

    ut in Pan’s case, that perfect fate was all an elaborate lie. She failed to graduate from high school, let alone the University of Toronto, as she had told her parents. Her trial, for plotting with hit men to kill her parents, ended in January, and she’s serving a long sentence. But the full story of this troubled young woman is just now being told as a complete and powerful narrative by someone who knew her — and indeed, it’s searing.

    In a story published in Toronto Life magazine last week, reporter Karen Ho detailed the intricate web of deception that her high school classmate at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School in north Scarborough spun to prevent her parents from discovering the unimaginable: that their golden child was, in fact, failing. Using court documents and interviews, Ho pieced together Pan’s descent from a precocious elementary schooler to a chronic liar who forged report cards, scholarship letters and university transcripts — all to preserve an image of perfection. The headline: “Jennifer Pan’s Revenge: the inside story of a golden child, the killers she hired, and the parents she wanted dead.”

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/27/tragedy-of-golden-daughters-murder-plot-against-parents-resonates-with-asian-immigrant-children/

    Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 8:30 am

    Queen Latifah Will Play Wiz and Mary J. Blige Is Evillene in NBC’s Musical Production of ‘The Wiz’

    Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act

    July 28, 2015 at 7:33PM

    Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige have been added to the cast of NBC’s upcoming holiday musical production of “The Wiz Live!,” set for Thursday, Dec. 3.

    Kenny Leon will direct, with Harvey Fierstein providing new written material.

    Queen Latifah stars as the Wiz, the mysterious and powerful wizard who holds the keys to the Emerald City, but whose metamorphosis from ordinary to extraordinary is itself a hoax. She rose to her lofty position after being transported by accident to Oz in a hot air balloon during a snowstorm.

    Mary J. Blige will play Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, who holds sway over the Winkies and the Winged Monkeys that do her bidding. She captures Dorothy and her friends to avenge the unintentional murder of her evil sister, Evvamean, and to get back the powerful silver slippers given to Dorothy by the Good Witch of the North.

    This will mark a reunion for Queen Latifah and the producers of “The Wiz Live!” (Craig Zadan and Neil Meron) who also executive produced “Hairspray” and the TV film “Steel Magnolias,” both of which Latifah co-starred in.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/queen-latifah-will-play-wiz-and-mary-j-blige-is-evillene-in-nbcs-musical-production-of-the-wiz-20150728

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 8:27 am

    COMEDIC?
    COMEDIC?

    …………………………….
    ‘Shaft’ Reboot Draws ‘Black-ish’ Creator Kenya Barris as Writer – Studio Aiming for Something More Comedic

    Photo of Tambay A. Obenson
    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act

    July 28, 2015 at 6:59PM

    New Line Cinema has announced that the studio is developing a “Shaft” reboot, with a screenplay that will be penned by “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris and “The Goldbergs” executive producer Alex Barnow.

    A reboot of 1970s screen hero has been in the works for some time, with the most recent update in February of this year, listing veteran producer John Davis (the “Predator” franchise, “Chronicle,” and “I, Robot”) as shepherd of the project. Today’s update comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, which revealed the attachments of Barris and Barnow as writers, as well as the announcement that this latest interpretation will have a much more comedic tone to it, which probably shouldn’t be a surprise, given the resumes of both Barris and Barnow.

    No details on story yet.

    But yes, the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks will be making a comeback, albeit more comedic, at a theater near you, courtesy of New Line Cinema.

    Recall that, in 2000, Samuel L. Jackson starred in a reboot of the franchise, as the nephew of the original John Shaft, from the initial 1970’s movies that starred Richard Roundtree as the eponymous detective. Jackson will not be starring in this new reboot; it’s an entirely new Shaft obviously, and the role (whether nephew or original Shaft) will be recast.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/shaft-reboot-draws-black-ish-creator-kenya-barris-as-writer-studio-aiming-for-something-more-comedic-20150728

    Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 8:26 am

    What’s Wrong with Being Black and Chasing Your Hollywood Dream?

    Shadow and Act
    By Courtney | Shadow and Act

    July 28, 2015 at 5:30PM

    As a writer with a dream, but also a big fan of this site which I’ve been reading for many years since I first discovered it, I take time to read through the comments from other readers as much as I can, to get a sense of what general perceptions are on whatever a post is about. And I’m always taken aback when I read comments that belittle, or look down on actors and/or filmmakers especially, who are chasing the proverbial “Hollywood Dream,” as if there’s something antithetical about being black AND wanting to work within the Hollywood studio system.

    Is there?

    I was reminded of the video clip below (posted on this site a number of times in the past) of a very frank Sam Greenlee (“The Spook Who Sat By The Door”) sharing his thoughts on the state of “black cinema,” being independent, being outsiders as black people in the industry, embracing our outsider status, and what all that means, adding (his words) “if you want to be a rich ho, move to Hollywood…,” implying that, from his perspective, Hollywood isn’t a place for “us” – “us” being black people – and we shouldn’t even bother chasing that “dream,” unless you want to sell out, which is like one of the absolute worst things a black person can do, because nobody wants to be called a sellout, right?

    What I’m trying to understand is why Hollywood and “Indie” have to be mutually exclusive. Even the definition of the term “indie” itself seems to continue to broaden.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/whats-wrong-with-being-black-and-chasing-your-hollywood-dream-20150728

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 8:23 am

    Morgan Freeman to Star in ‘Air Force One’-Like Actioner, ‘Down to a Sunless Sea’

    Photo of Tambay A. Obenson

    Morgan Freeman has signed up to star in Focus Features’ “Down to a Sunless Sea,” an action movie scripted by David Gleeson, whose plot is being kept under wraps for now, except for comparisons being made to “Air Force One.”

    Also now details on what role exactly Freeman will play.

    The film will be produced by Freeman’s own Revelations production house.

    Upcoming for Freeman include a sequel to the Antoine Fuqua-directed White House actioner, “Olympus Has Fallen,” titled “London Has Fallen;” he’s also teamed up with HBO for a miniseries based on the life of Bass Reeves; he will star alongside Michael Caine and Alan Arkin in New Line’s remake of the 1979 caper film, “Going in Style;” and he’ll be working with National Geographic Channel on “The Story of God,” which he will host and executive produce.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/morgan-freeman-to-star-in-air-force-one-like-actioner-down-to-a-sunless-sea-20150728

    Reply
  43. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 8:08 am

    SG2,

    Please check in.

    Did you go to the ER?

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2015 at 7:56 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      July 29, 2015 at 8:14 am

      Happy HUMP day, everyone! I love 80s music.

      There’s such an eclectic mix, BIG HAIR BANDS, ROCK, BALLADS, POP. I MISS THE 80s.. music.

      Reply

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