Issue #110

To join The A-List,
email us TODAY for
your free “membership”:
thealistmag@gmail.com

View The A-List archives at:
thealistmagzine.blogspot.com

OVERSEEN & OVERHEARD

CHANNELING M …Alfre Woodard is coming back to TV. Let’s hope the folks over at Christian Slater’s new NBC series “My Own Worst Enemy” know how to capitalize on Woodard’s acting skills more than Marc Cherry, creator of “Desperate Housewives,” all be it her stint was Emmy nominated. “My Worst Enemy” has been described as a Jekyll-and-Hyde-themed drama series. In Slater is a suburban dad named Henry, whose alter ego, Edward, is an international spy. Woodard is his hard-as-nails boss at Janus HQ. Here’s the twist: She too has an alter ego. Now that sounds like something you’d have to watch to really “get,” huh?

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE …Seems like we’ve been hearing about this bio pic about soul singing legend Marvin Gaye forever. Well, all the talk last week was that there’s finally a director attached–F. Gary Grey (Set It Off, The Italian Job). And C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) is penning the script. Still no studio however. And word is they are shopping around for financiers still. Meanwhile, The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini is moving ahead with his own 2010 Gaye movie, Sexual Healing, which he is producing and will only focus on the latter years of Gaye’s life. This all sounds like the similar situation with the upcoming pair of Bob Marley movies that will also find themselves battling it out at the box office.

MTV VOTES…More proof on how important the youth vote is in this presidential election. Since launching in 1981, MTV has always declined political advertising–until now. The Viacom MTV Networks channel has announced it will now take political ads but only from political candidates and party political committees, not from third parties. Reports are that Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign is already in talks with the network for an MTV buy.

LIFE IMITATING ART?….While the U.S. Government is calling for Wesley Snipes to surrender himself even though he’s on bail pending appeal of his recent tax evasion conviction, Sony is set to send his sequel, The Art of War II: Betrayal straight-to-DVD this August. First time around, Snipes’ portrayal of Agent Neil Shaw raked in $40MM worldwide at the box office. In Betrayal Shaw once again gets embroiled in Washington intrigue as he uncovers a plot to assassinate a slew of senators. But from where we sit, Snipes’ own federal saga would be ripe for the Big Screen–too bad the Art of War sequel isn’t.

NEW ROUTE FOR SOUL TRAIN…For more than a moment “Soul Train” was like NYC’s subway to nowhere. Seemingly stuck in tradition, founder Don Cornelius didn’t seem anxious to take that leap forward, even when in 2000 The A-List founder–and head of Punch Media Group–Lauren Coleman suggested that digital expansion of the brand would yield financial fruit and brand extension. Well, maybe in large part thanks to the visionary Coleman, now it seems Mr. C has finally caught up with the times…and seems he has handed his conductor’s camp to others. Just last week, he sold “Soul Train,” which was launched in 1970, to production company MadVision Entertainment. MadVision was founded in 2006 by the trio behind Showtime’s stand-up comedy series “White Boyz in the Hood”–Kenard Gibbs, is the group publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines; Anthony Maddox, worked as a producer at NBC and ran Bad Boy Films; Peter Griffith founded a hip-hop Web portal and helped Vibe to extend its brand. MadVision plans a relaunch of the “Soul Train” and a release of vintage episodes on DVD.

MADISON AVENUE MEETS CYBERSPACE…TV, radio and print pubs better act fast–at least in Britain. The Internet is luring away your ad dollars. According to UK marketing research firm Enders Analysis, The Internet will make a major dent in television advertising in Britain this year, with over 19 percent of total ad spend. Meanwhile in the States, according to eMarketer, Internet ad buys will reach $42 billion in 2011. During that time period, Web advertising’s share of the overall ad market in the U.S will also roughly double from 7.4 percent to 13.3 percent–so not quite the same take over just yet. What will be the most interesting number for The A-List is just how many of those dollars appear on multicultural destinations. That has yet to be revealed.

PARAMOUNT PROPS…Paramount Pictures just reached two 2008 milestones. Last week, the Viacom-owned studio’s international box office has now passed the $1 billion mark–six weeks faster than in 2007- with the help from such films as Iron Man and the latest Indiana Jones adventure. This week, the U.S. domestic and Canadian box office for Paramount also passed the $1 billion point. Given that urban moviegoers obviously contributed to the studio’s bottom line, what would be interesting to see is how the pie was sliced between vendors and marketing and PRcompanies of color.

HIP HOP HOLLYWOOD

DIGITAL MOVES…Hip-Hop artist/producer T-Pain, who holds the record for the largest number of ringtones sold at 15 million, has launched a new independent digital record label. Nappy Boy Digital (www.nappyboyonline.com) will deliver music via all major digital download retailers. The first release will be “Beam Me Up” by Tay Dizm.Hip Hop is once again leading the technology pack.

NEWS

DELL DEBUTS NOTEBOOK FOR THE HIGH-DEF MOBILE LIEFSTYLE

Dell Computers has just released a new line of notebooks aimed at multimedia creators called The Studio. The offers features especially designed for high-end multimedia users, such as an optional blu-ray drive and a high-resolution 17-inch screen. The new notebooks feature sport Intel Core 2 Duo processors up to 2.5ghz and offer the option of up to 3GB of memory and a 256MB ATI Radeon graphics card. According to Dell, they are targeting users who lead “high-def mobile lifestyles.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

HOLLYWOOD PR VETERAN ROSALINE “ROZ” STEVENSON CLOSES SHOP

After more than 20 years as a studio publicist for Universal, MGM and proprietor of her own firm RSPR, film publicist Rosalind “Roz” Stevenson has at long last made her final pitch. Roz has closed up shop in favor of more tranquil pursuits. Stevenson initially worked in TV production for Norman Lear’s “Good Times,” later going to work at MGM in 1980 in the Publicity Dept. “I never considered the field of publicity, but it was love on first sight,” says Stevenson, who went on to create one of the go-to PR agencies in Hollywood. Looking back, Stevenson says there are standout moments. “Implementing and carrying out the campaign for the film Ray was a career highlight,” she says. “Another was creating great professional relationships at with studios executive and members of the press, both mainstream and African-American.”

While Stevenson has announced the close of RSPR, don’t call it retirement. “I am not retiring; I am transitioning into doing other ventures,:” says Stevenson. “My husband and I have been married 31 years, spending very little time together because of the demands of the industry. Now we want to spend time together, with our children and grandchildren, travel and enjoy life.”

Never shy of passing on information about her craft to others, The A-List got her to impart a few PR tips to up-and-coming filmmakers.

What are the three most important things filmmakers should know about working with a studio publicist? Do what he or she can do to create awareness and box office for the film; (2) Define your target audience and how to best reach them; 3) What he or she cannot do to sell your film. What it costs to market a film properly.

How can black actors, producers and directors form effective alliances with studio publicists? Start at the top by meeting with the head of marketing, who will introduce you to his team. Ask everyone you meet how they can help you. –Gil Robertson

FEATURE

LORI PETTY ANTES UP:

ACTRESS TALKS FILMMAKING & DIVERSITY

The LA Film Fest is in full swing and one of many anticipated films is actress Lori Petty’s directing debut The Poker House. Written (with David Alan Grier) by Petty, The Poker Houseis an autobiographical film set in a poor rural Iowa town in 1976, and it covers troubling aspects of her life as well as her triumphs.Petty played by newcomer Jennifer Lawrence. Sophia Bairley and Chloe Grace Moretz play Petty’s two sisters; and their drug-addicted, abused mother (s portrayed by Selma Blair. Also starring co-screenwriter David Alan Grier, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyla Abercrumbie, and Clarke Peters.

We understand you were very conscious about having people of color involved in your project. Was this how you approached casting and staffing your movie? “As much as I could. I tried…I was very conscious of this and purposefully saying ‘every department needs to be mixed. We need women, we need Black people, we need Hispanics, go out of your way to find that. Don’t just call your friends.’ Because people like to think we’re all integrated (in the business) and its just not like that. People call their friends. That’s why when White people go crazy about Affirmative Action, I’m like you don’t get it. The reason why there is Affirmative Action is because you call your friends’ kids to work in the store, and your friends are all White. So yea, I was very conscious of making sure there was a diverse cast and crew.”

This is a movie that took place in Iowa back in 1976. Was the town depicted in the movie that as racially diverse as in the movie?“Yea. Iowa and Illinois have a lot, has had a lot of Black and Spanish [people] living there. And when you’re poor…you really don’t have time to be racist…If you noticed like all the states that went to Obama are poor states…It’s those middle states like Indiana that go White candidates because they have just enough money to be, you know, F—– up. When we filmed League of Their Own in Indiana, F—— Klan was there, with a can asking for money. This was in 1992. Crew would quit because we had a Black PA.”

What was the budget for The Poker House? “Around a million. My next movie I want at least $8 or 10 million. And I don’t want to have to live like I did while filming The Poker House. It was rough. It was freezing cold, we were staying at not so very nice hotels, and I’m a vegan so doing The Poker House, I lived on vitamins, peanut butter and Guinness. “

What were valuable lessons you learned as a director, as an artist, as a woman? “I learned that men can’t hear you when you talk…They respected me but I would be talking to them and they would just walk away. I would have to say to them ‘come here.’ They would come back and say ‘yea’, and I would be like ‘I’m still talking to you’, and they would be like, ‘oh, sorry.’ “

Do you think sexism was involved? “No. It’s just programming…During a basketball game scene, I had a microphone but I ran into the same problem, the guys weren’t listening…I’m not being sexist but, give a guy a basketball, a car, a gun, you might as well forget it, he’s not going to listen to you.”

Where do you feel Hollywood is in terms of women and people of color holding positions of power? “As you know, no one gave women the right to vote, no one gave slaves freedom, no one is going to give you anything, you have to take it…You can have all the Black screenwriter associations and women at lunch things, but at the end of the day you just have to have a great script and then color goes away and sex goes away as long as you can make some money.”

Where are you now with your new project? ” I’m about halfway done with the writing. I need some development money so I can continue to write. Savion Glover is attached.” —Anthony Davis

FILM FESTIVAL LOGS

HOLLYWOOD BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) rolled through town for six days, loaded with films, stars and filmmakers in the making. While The A-List found things a bit disorganized, there were a highlights. One was the Pitchathon held at the Clarity Theater. Aspiring writers eager to land a deal, shared their ideas to a panel of industry insiders such as Omar Shamout, Director of Development for HQ Pictures and Ava Hall Madison of BET. We also got a chance to peep the much hyped Sticky Fingza movie Day In The Life. Despite a few snags, overall, the HBFF was a good opportunity for aspiring movie makers to make their mark on the industry. –AD

LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

The A-List was excited to be a part of the 14th Annual Los Angeles Film Festival held in Westwood. This year promised to be the biggest yet for the festival, and it had a plethora of eclectic films from visual artist around the world. There was so much to do, The A-List almost got overwhelmed. But we managed to hit a number of feature films and shorts.

There was a lot to offer any aspiring filmmaker or anyone who likes movies. Alongside the many films showcased From the usual opening and closing night films such as Angelina Jolie’s Wanted to Ron Perlman’s Hellboy II, there was the music video showcase; Coffee Talks with Directors, actors, Composers and Screenwriters; the very successful and inspiring High School Program that displayed shorts from teens; and a Diversity Expo, to name a few. There was even the Festival After Dark, where the Target Red Room showcased DJs from 9pm to 1pm and was the place to unwind and let your hair down. There was also the honoring of Melvin Van Peebles as a living legend, and conversations with Hip Hop artist-tuned-actor Common.

No word yet if anyone inked a big deal, but the with quality of this year’s films, it’s a sure bet a few of them have. At the printing of of this story, the audience winners and the winner of the Target $50,000 filmmaker awards have yet to be announced. Here is our rundown on what we thought were the best, so-so, the worst.

What We Loved
Feature Films:
Prince of Broadway: Made for little more than $40,000, this flick totally captures not only the essence of one of New York City’s neighborhoods, but the ethnic groups it follows and looks good too boot. Newcomer Prince Adu is a natural in front of the camera, as well as three-year-old Aiden Noesi who is absolutely adorable, but the story telling is exceptional. Keep an eye out for writer and director Sean Baker and his next film, Take Out, which also features New York.
The Poker House: A wonderful coming-of-age-through-traumatic-circumstances film by first time director Lori Petty.
Shorts:
Magic Paris: French writer and director Alice Winocour’s short of a woman who goes alone to Paris and meets a strange man (angel?) and ends up going home with a new friend, his dog.
KJFG No. 5: Hungarian Director and writer Alexei Alexeev offers the funniest, cutest animation seen yet. This is a true winner!
Terminus: Scary, surreal, an existentialist short of a man who can’t seem to get rid of a bunch of round concrete blocks which has attached themselves to him like a shadow.
City of Cranes: If you’ve never looked up to the sky before, you will after seeing this short about what men in cranes do and see everyday.

What We Liked
Feature Films:
Exodus (Ceot Oi Kap Gei): Spoken in Cantonese with English subtitles, writer/director Pang Ho-Cheung explores a world where men are dying mysteriously and a female hit club is to blame. Dark, funny, engaging and sometimes predictable.

Shorts:
La Saint Festin: Wacky animation from France about a troll who eats children. Although no children were harmed during the movie, it certainly puts you on edge and makes you laugh.
Run: Out of New Zealand, this short tells the story of a Samoan boy and his sister standing up to their overbearing father.
The Livelong Day: Trains, trains and more trains! Train enthusiast show us that even railroad tracks can be an obsession.
How to Save a Fish: Short on life in rural North Western North Dakota and the desolation they face.
Magnetic Movie: Short on the invisible life of magnetic fields. It was like being in 7th grade science class all over again!
Self-Portrait With Cows Going Home and Other Works — A Portrait of Sylvia Plachy: Film portrait of photographer Sylvia Plachy and her philosophy on photographs and being an artist.

What We Could of Done Without
Shorts:
I Have Seen The Future: Creepy throwback to animation at the beginning of the 80s. Like, gee dude, like, that’s so lame!
The Apology Line: Ok, listening to folks confess (or make up) foul things in their lives with random images. Hasn’t this already been done?
At The End of the Street: Don’t get it twisted, we love foreign films, but this one was depressing and aimless.
Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Rope A Dope: It was like watching a Basement Jaxx music Video, or even worse, someone trying to imitate the Basement Jaxx, badly! –Anthony Davis

EVENT COVERAGE

TOYOTA CAMPAIGN LAUNCH PARTY & ESSENCE FASHION SHOW, NYC

The A-List arrived at Eyebeam fashionably on-time! We approached the PR people after our names were not spotted on the guest list (ugh). Luckily, they knew who we were, and things rolled smoothly! We entered inside, and dazzled around the red carpet for a minute. Flashing pics of not only our glamorous selves, but of celebrates such as R&B singer Mashonda, Eric Benet, America’s Next Top Model contestant Bianca Golden. After a few flashes, we made our way into the party! The setting, of course, went well with the host of the evening–Essence Magazine. The venue was chic and sexy with pinkish/purple lighting, and the fashion runway and bar setup accordingly. But before the fashions by designer Alexis Phifer of GHITA, Keyshia Cole performed–and it was the highlight of the night, which was organized to introduced Toyota’s new marketing campaign called “If Looks Could Kill.” The campaign is aimed at attracting African-American female car buyer. –L e e S a B*

SPOTTED

All of the members of New Edition–including singer-turned-reality-show star Bobby Brown–pickin’ up the Golden Note Award at the 21^stAnnual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awardsat the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

Recording artist and judge on the TV show “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” Lil Mama (nominated for Best Female Hip Hop Artist) tunin’ into jams on the new COBY MP4 Player at the COBY Electronics backstage area at the BET Awards.

The A-List is: Lauren Coleman, founder/co-publisher…Ann Brown, co-publisher…Melissa Ross, European correspondent…LeAnne Lindsay, contributor…Anthony Davis, contributor…Gil Robertson, contributor…Dan Williams, contributor…LeesaB, contributor…Clemetine Clarke, columnist