Hollywood by Choice

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Nov 17 2011

Hollywood by Choice

“Happy Feet Two” is delightful, and it will make you very happy, and why not? Great music, penguins ‘getting’ down, outstanding animation, and an uplifting story, all in 3D.

In a curious way, it teaches us all, young and old, about our planet and how we’re all connected one way or the other. Through natural occurrence things begin to shift in the landscape of Antarctica and sea creatures great and small, as well as man have challenges they have to meet.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Nov 3 2011

Hollywood by Choice

Have you ever wondered what happened to your favorite musicians, or performers?

TV One features two of the best shows on television that gives you the 4-1-1 on the celebrities who entertained us and rocked our world.

One of the best shows on television is TV One’s “Unsung.” You don’t have to be a music lover, or nostalgia buff to be totally captivated by this show. It has all the drama, laughs, tears, heartbreak and triumphs that a program can muster.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Oct 27 2011

Hollywood by Choice

If you met him on the street, you’d never know that Kevin Jeffery Clash is the voice, heart and soul of the beloved Sesame Street muppet, Elmo. The word is out, thanks to the award-winning documentary film, “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey,” about the life and career of Kevin Clash.

The film was directed by Constance Marks, and debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, the documentary features archival footage, including Clash puppeteering as a teenager with his own handmade puppets.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Oct 20 2011

Hollywood by Choice

Every now and then a film comes along that just brings joy and laughter to your soul. Add to the mix funk and you’ve got the much celebrated documentary “Thunder Soul.”

In Houston, Texas, in the late 1960s, musician and composer Conrad O. Johnson, widely known as “Prof,” took a job as music director at the predominantly Black Kashmere High School, where he would go on to transform the school’s struggling jazz band into a full-fledged funk powerhouse.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Oct 13 2011

Hollywood by Choice

James Reynolds has to be one of the busiest, most positive people working in Hollywood today.

You soap fans know who I’m talking about—Police Captain Abe Carver on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” the network’s longest-running scripted series (45 years) to date.

Reynolds began in that role 1981, and for some 28 years he’s kept the “Days of Our Lives” cast of characters under the watchful, knowledgeable eye of the law.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”