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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sisters in Cinema: Kasi Lemmon’s Eve’s Bayou


Making a movie as a Black woman in Hollywood is hard work and its not getting any easier to get your worked produced according to writer, producer and director, Kasi Lemmon. About 75 fans of Kasi Lemmon came to the National Museum of Women in the Arts as apart of the Sisters in Cinema series last Thursday. The event started with white wine, strawberries and seasonal fruit. Fans had a chance to socialize and multiple discussions of their favorite films and directors were spoken amongst the crowd.

The featured film, Eve’s Bayou began and for 109 minutes, viewers were engulfed in one of Louisiana’s most sophisticated families while they revealed their family secrets and practices of voodoo. At the end of the movie, to applause, Kasi Lemmon approached the palladium to discuss her film. Fans stated that they loved her movie, which they said unfolded like a Toni Morrison novel. Lemmon stated that the idea for the movie stemmed from a love of Louisiana’s cultural and literature such as Toni Morrison’s love.


Eve’s Bayou was Lemmon’s first film because it was the role she always wanted to play and while the process to get her film produced happened quickly and she realized that after meeting with different companies and producers that her film could easily be taken out of context by a big Hollywood studio company and director. So, Lemmon took matters in her own hands and made a film, which she would want to see with a cast full of her friends.

Nijla Mumin, a Howard University graduate film student attended the event and thoroughly enjoyed herself. “Tonight’s event was inspiration. Eve’s Bayou is one of my favorite films and as an aspiring filmmaker it just felt good to hear Mrs. Lemmon speak. And I can watch Eve’s Bayou over and over again.”

Monique Hazeur, also a Howard University graduate film student agreed with Mumin saying the event, Sisters in Cinema was inspiration. “ You can tell Mrs. Lemmon has a love for literature, the scenes and the texture looks like a book. I love Eve’s Boyou, it’s a film that I aspire to make one day.”

When asked if it is truly hard for a Black film to get made in Hollywood, Lemmon responded by saying, “It is and unfortunately it is not getting any easier. Eve’s Bayou would not get made today in Hollywood, if I thought it was hard when I made the film in 1997 and its even harder now.”

Lemmon also expressed how the troubles a producer, writer faces when trying to make a Black drama. “Black comedies, certain level of Black thrillers can be made but studios just stop taking risks with Black independent dramas.”

Lemmon continued by stating that the Black writers, producers and directors all stick together in Hollywood and a lot of them are her friends along with Black actors. “ I am a friend of Tyler Perry and I am extremely proud of all that he has accomplished,” Lemmon states.


The National Museum of Women in the Arts presents the Asian Pacific American Women Film Festival tomorrow, October 1, 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Ne-Yo- She Got Her Own (Miss Independent Remix) Featuring Jamie Foxx and Fabolous

" Independent Queen working for her throne!"




Ok, this is officially my new fave ish! And I thought I was love in with original version, this one is too sexy. Jaime Foxx and Fab with Ne-Yo? Wow, I’m loving it! “It’s cool, I got it!”



Click below to listen!

Little Brother at Sonar Baltimore


SALIM & THE MUSIC LOVERS : BROWNFISH : KEV BROWN & THE LOW BUDGET CREW : DJ P-FUNK : HOSTED BY SONNY BROWN




Little Brother, the hot Hip Hop group hailing from North Carolina will be performing at Sonar (407 E. Saratoga St.) tomorrow, September 12.

Advance tickets are $ 22 and they will be more at the door. The show is for all ages and it starts at 9:00PM.

Check out Little Brother's myspace page to get you amped for the show, MYSPACE.COM/LittleBrother.

Click here to buy tickets

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Love Lockdown



Kanye is back and he is singing on “Love Lockdown,” the first single off his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. Click below to download “Love Lockdown,” Kanye calls the single his “favorite song to date.”




Raphael Saadiq feat Jay-Z - Oh Girl Remix



I have been in love with Raphael Saadiq since the Toni! Tony! Tone! days. He is such a dope song writer, I love the stuff he did with Teedra Moses and Joss Stone. Remember Lucy Pearl?Although they were short lived, their music was fresh.


Saadiq’s latest album, “The Way I see It” hits stores September 16,2008.



P.S.- Saadiq is currently working with new artist CJ from Baltimore.CJ attended Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County with buddy and R&B singer Mario.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

I love Vince Chase! Entourage is back!


I was hurt that I missed the season premiere of Entourage. I mean not only did the delayed season mess up my whole summer, since I had to wait, I thought for sure I would be glued to the television screen. Nevertheless, I missed the show, but Tim Livingston of 411mania.com does a great job recapping the first episode.

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The Other Entourage Review: Season 5, Episode 1 - Fantasy Island

Posted by Tim Livingston on 09.08.2008

This is the type of show that always seems to come through with a good season premiere. Yeah, this one delivers on many cylinders.

The show begins with Roeper at the Movies, where he absolutely blasts the movie as a disaster. Not surprisingly, it’s getting around that the movie wasn’t good, and after the now infamous “Hindenberg” showing at Caanes, it has been relegated to straight-to-DVD release. Ouch. Of course, Eric is watching this and taking it all in stride, beer in hand. Meanwhile, here comes Johnny, MacBook in hand (hooray product placement) and he’s talking via webcam with Jacqueline, the French woman he met at Caanes who absolutely loved Viking Quest. For a great visual, go back to the end of Season 4 when she asks him to do scenes from the show. Classic Johnny Drama stuff. Anyways, Drama tries to cheer E up, but E isn’t hearing it. He’ll just sit and drink his beer, hoping that Vince is okay at his hideaway in Mexico.

Of course, since this is Entourage, it goes straight to Vince, of course, having sex with a beautiful woman on a secluded Mexican beach. Meanwhile, a second woman comes in, much to the chagrin of Turtle, who’s along for the ride, of course, as he and his girl have to go to the hammock instead. Well, you can only do so much.

Meanwhile, Ari returns to the office on Monday morning after the Roeper ripping. Of course, suck-ups galore try to cheer him up, but this is ARI GOLD, for crying out loud. It leads to the first of what will be many Ari tirades. He’s already in midseason form. Meanwhile, Carl Ertz calls with an idea about casting Vince in a new movie called “Beach Danger.” As it would be repeated throughout the episode, “It’s a working title.” Intrigued that Vince would receive an offer upon a meeting, Ari gets in motion to get Vince back to LA before Ertz leaves for Greece on Wednesday.

Now, we go to E’s office, where he has someone resembling your normal great aunt answering calls, and E is in talks with Charlie, played by Bow Wow, about getting him some roles in a couple of start-ups. After E finally lets Ari on the line, they talk to each other as only they can, finally agreeing that they need to get Vince back for this role.

At a photo shoot for Drama’s TV show, he’s on a roll until he gets asked to shoot from his right side, which, in his words, makes him look like a monster. This causes a stir-up with the photographer and the director, who then threatens to call the producer. Of course, Drama thinks he’s bigger than he is. That’s one bluff that will get called.

E then talks to Vince about coming back, but Vince ain’t having any of it. You know, because it’s a beach, there’s food, and there’s threesomes. Seriously, would YOU want to leave that? After that pow wow, E and Ari talk and realize that they need to take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, Charlie can’t find a thing in the town yet, as another interview goes badly. The one hand that E does have under control at the moment isn’t getting him anywhere.

In his trailer, Johnny still doesn’t like his right side and complains to his girlfriend. Ben Silverman is on his way, powerwalking his way towards the trailer when he gets a call from E asking exactly where Vince is. When he finds out that it’s an emergency, he ditches on Silverman, the CHAIRMAN OF THE NETWORK. Well, if that isn’t a foreshadow…by the way. I would be in remiss if I didn’t mention how Drama and his girlfriend say good-bye to each other by using bird sounds. Adorable.

Winner for best part of the episode: The crew flies in to Vince‘s hideaway to “Return of the Mack.” A party is going on, with like, three guys and 20 girls. I’m going to the wrong parties. Complete with Turtle saying, “Boss! Theee plane! Theee plane!”, the crew lands and they all talk. They say that people kind of forgot about Vince. Drama: “Don’t take it personally, bro. The whole country’s on meth.” Vince comes back saying he doesn‘t want to go. “Even Turtle is getting laid.” Turtle: “A lot!” Vince puts his foot down, so E has to give his “pep talk.” Vince’s beard is lovely for someone who’s been on a beach for six months. Just sayin’. Vince agrees to go back, but not before Turtle gets one last lay in before they leave.

Cleanly shaven, Vince gets back after reading the script and enjoys what he read, title aside. Turtle thinks the movie should be called “High Tide.” The guys like it. Ari shows up to give Vince his report, and, as he sometimes does with Turtle, has a great little back and forth, complete with Turtle telling him what he does all the time when he’s waiting for these meetings to be done. That would be watching porn in the Escalade. With the windows down and the volume up. Classic Turtle. Guy gets laid more in a six month period than he ever has, and as soon as he hits LA, it’s right back to his horn dog ways.

As Vince walks in, Adam Davies spots him sitting down with Ertz. He goes over as Vince chats up the script and Turtle’s title idea, which Ertz likes. After saying hi to Ertz, Davies reveals to Ari that Vince was set up in return for a low ball offer on Emile Hirsch. So there goes that plan. By the way, saw him in Alpha Dog. Much better in The Girl Next Door. Ari chews up the script, Davies has the last word on Ari, and the guys reconvene to talk about getting Vince back in the game. So, of course, Turtle and Drama head to Ertz’s house, golf bag in hand. Drama then takes a six iron to the windshield of one of Ertz‘s cars, but not the Maserati. To top it off, Drama leaves a fish, “Godfather“ style and exclaims “Aquaman will be back!” to end the episode.

As a whole, it’s a great opener, because it basically sets things up for what makes Entourage great in the first place: the chase for glory. After an initial bump in the road, the crew will have their initiative tested right away and they will need to bounce back big-time. Be sure to watch for how Ari and E go this season. If E is trying to get Charlie’s career going, would he look at Ari as a competitor or mentor? How will this affect his standing with Vince? What will happen with Drama’s job? Will Turtle stop being funny? (probably not) Looking forward, there’s many different things that can happen, including Vince’s next shot at returning to glory, which seems to be the way they’re going at least in the near future.


The 411: Entourage has always been a show that started off strong. This one is no exception. For many, the question now stands as to whether or not the show can keep itself going strong. Take a shot on this season of Entourage. It was hurt by the Writer's Strike, and it looks like it wants to return itself to the glory it saw when it hit its peak in Season 3, Part 1. This is definitely a good start, but the only question remains whether or not this will keep on going.
Final Score: 8.5



Italian Wine Tasting at Cork Bar


One of my favorite spots in DC, Cork is hosting an Italian Wine Tasting this Saturday. They are pouring great selections of Italian Wines from their friends at Grappoli Imports.

Taste delicious lush Northern Italian whites, an end of the summer rosé, rich complex red wines from Piedmont, Umbria and Abruzzo, and to finish, something a little sweet and bubbly.


David Enright and Mo Fileppo of Grappoli Imports and Cork Wine Bar Staff will pour the wines and talk about the wine, the country, and the people who make it. If you’re not a wine drinker, this is the prefect opportunity to try out some wines and find your favorites. I’ll be there with ringing bells or more like a wine glass.

Where & When:

Cork Wine Bar
1720 14th Street, NW
202-265-CORK

Saturday, September 13, 2008
3:00 PM TO 5:00 PM

Space is limited, so please RSVP by September 11 to info@corkdc.com

Save 10% Come taste and receive 10% off the purchase of these wines at a local wine store!

Read my review of the fabulousness that is Cork here.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Letter to my Girlfriends: Carrie Fever




“She gets Carrie fever but as soon as the show's over, she’s right back to being my soldier…” Jay-Z, Bonnie and Clyde’03





While watching the muddled version of Sex and the City on TBS, I realized while I’m on my quest to become the Black Carrie Bradshaw, I got caught up in the fantasy of having my own Mr. Big. For the longest time, I thought my high school sweetheart was my young adult version of Mr. Big. In high school we were dangerously in love, we skipped school to be together, stayed on the phone all night. We listened to Music Soulchild’s sophomore album while cuddling on his couch in his mom’s basement. I even honed my writing skills by drafting love poems; and in the mist of our love we got matching tattoos (a decision I don’t regret but will never do again).

I then made the hardest decision of my teen years by breaking up with Mr. Big the night before he went to college, and although we cried at the thought of breaking up, I knew I couldn’t compromise our love by the temptation of fast college girls. When he came back home for Christmas we rekindled our relationship; but, by spring break we broke up. Come summertime, we found summer love. I left for college, and we broke up again. Then I broke up with my college boyfriend for Mr. Big, and we got back together. Currently Mr. Big and I are broken up, and I’m currently in a relationship that sometimes got strained by Mr. Big.

See the comparisons?

I even had a Natasha moment. No one got physically hurt by chasing me out of an apartment, but my boyfriend did get hurt emotionally. After a brief affair, I realized that hurting someone who loves you doesn’t feel too good, and years of a on and off relationship with no clear direction is just silly.

Watching Carrie let Mr. Big continue to play her by moving to California without her input, or running to Paris and finding a wife or just not letting her into his life, just felt so relatable. And though I have great set of friends like Carrie who understood my relationship with my Mr. Big, Carrie’s vulnerability towards Mr. Big is one trait of her character traits that I don’t want to adopt.

Even after the watching the movie, I was heated at how Mr. Big stood her up on their wedding day. How does one have cold feet after 10 years of dating? That’s when I knew I had to move on. I have been dealing with my Mr. Big for six years, and I refuse to make it a decade. Though I have bid my farewell to our love affair, I truly believe that young love is the truest form of love. It’s love before all the bull that hits you, before you experience heartbreak. It's love when you’re just young, innocent and madly in the moment.

To my Mr. Big, thank you for being my first love. But I could never get married in a courthouse. The library is much cooler.
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Check out my other Letter to my Girlfriends columns here:
http://theflygirlguide.blogspot.com/search/label/Letter%20to%20my%20Girlfriends

Fly Song of the Week: LL Cool J- "Feel My Heartbeat" featuring 50 Cent


This is a cool radio hit. Ladies Love Cool James is dropping his 13th studio album, Exit 13. Wow, 13 albums?! That is impressive for a MC. “Feel my Heartbeat” has 50 Cent all over it. Exit 13 drops, Tuesday, September 9, 2008.


Click below to listen!


Got My Drink N' My Two Step: Football Cocktails



Football season just started and everyone is ready to cook some wings and slip on something refreshing while yelling at their flat screen. I must admit that I’m not a fan of football but I am a fan of football cocktails! If I must watch the game, I’ll pass time by making a drink and who doesn’t like theme cocktails? Oh, yea, here’s my game face, “Let’s go Ravens!”



Two-Point Conversion

4 oz white rum
4 oz dark rum
3 oz cranberry juice
6 oz sour mix
6 oz pina colada mix
ice

In one blender combine rums, sour mix, cranberry juice and ice. In other blender combine pina colada mix with ice. In two hurricane glasses alternate layers of mixtures. Serve with a straw and orange wheel with cherry. (Makes two 16-ounce servings.)


Blitz

1 oz tequila
1 oz rum
1 oz gin
1 oz vodka
1 oz cranberry
1 oz sour mix
splash tonic water

In a large shaker half filled with ice combine all ingredients except tonic water. Strain into four shot glasses. Top with tonic water. Can be enjoyed like straight tequila shots except lick of sugar, swallow shooter then suck lime. (Makes four 1 1/2-ounce servings)




False Start

4 oz apple cider
2 oz bourbon
1 oz apple brandy
1/2 lemon

In a shaker filled with cracked ice squeeze juice of lemon. Shake well with cider and spirits. Strain into two rocks glasses filled with ice cubes. (Makes two 4-ounce servings.)

Fumble

2 oz gin
2 oz vodka
2 oz grapefruit juice
2 oz cranberry juice
Fill soda water or seltzer

Combine all fruit juices, vodka and gin in a large shaker half filled with ice. Strain into two rocks glasses packed with crushed ice. Fill with seltzer. (Makes two 6-ounce servings.)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Artist Spotlight: "The Death of Adam" Interview with 88- Keys

No, that's not Kanye! It's 88- Keys at the Dilated People's Concert in Baltimore!


88- Keys may be well known behind the scenes but he is now trying to make movements from just being a producer-to-producer slash MC. While he has made hits for everyone from Talib Kweli, Mos Def and The Pharcyde, 88 Keys’ own album, “The Death of Adam” is a concept record about the female genital. “ When I thought about concepts for the album I started with things I love. I love clothes especially; Polo Purple Label and I love women. How about I make an album about pussy?” Sounds explicit 88 –Keys. He rebuts by saying, “ It’s not really explicit, it follows a story of Adam looking for a woman, finding a woman to have sex with, getting an STD to everything else after.” Now that sounds interesting.

His excitement for his project can easily be felt through the phone, he has been working on this album for two years. And with friend, Kanye West signed on as Executive Producer, of course 88- Keys is ready to talk (for hours) about his album. The Death of Adam plays musically like a typical Saturday night. The tale follows Adam, who represents man and mankind, in his quest to woo the opposite sex.

"It's about the power of the female pussy," 88-Keys says. "This is not a spoiler alert. The pursuit leads to his demise. But it's how he dies. That's where people will want to purchase the album."

The album started, as an instrumental album but West who has known 88- Keys from when he worked with Mos Def and Busta Rhymes told 88 that all the pieces were there to make an album but it just need to be reformatted. "This is my baby," he says of the album. "I wasn't ready to let go and change my ideas around. . . . But the changes being made are all for the better. I see it now. Initially, I didn't see it."

"The Death of Adam" hits stores October 28, 2008.

Click here to hear snippets of "The Death of Adam.”